Pierre Pivet (1948 –)

After his parents passed away in 1969, Pivet worked as a programmer for three years. In 1972, he left his job and moved to San Francisco, where he devoted himself to painting. Following a return to Paris in 1974, he studied painting for three years at the prestigious Académie de Port-Royal in Paris, under the tutelage of professors Claude Schürr, Jean Marzelle, and Jean-Maxime Relange. He placed first in the Académie’s annual competition in 1976 and started exhibiting that very year. Thus began a long artistic career. Voyages of discovery and indelible encounters, including a meeting with painter René Brochard, who would become a close friend, have marked his life. In 1983, Pivet left Europe to settle in Montréal, Québec.

Pivet is a prolific painter. On average, he has presented one public solo exhibition annually in various countries since 1973. His work has been featured at the Salon d’Automne in Paris (1975-1983, 1990-1991), at the Galerie De L’Isle in Montréal (1984-2004) and Art Expo, New York (1997- 2000).

Pivet has won many accolades throughout his career, both nationally and internationally. In Canada, he was awarded the Silver Medal of Contemporary Art in 1981 in Québec. In 1982, he was selected for the prestigious Prix de Monte Carlo, which is awarded by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). In 1984, he participated in a group exhibition, entitled Montréal as Seen by Painters, 1860-1984, at the Montréal City Hall. In 1987, Pivet was invited as guest of honour by Alexander Ebeid, captain of the Falcons’ polo team, to his Cheltenham estate in the United Kingdom. He painted a series of polo works during his month-long stay. In 1997, the French Embassy in Panama featured his work at an exhibition in collaboration with French Ambassador Alain Pallu de Beaupuy.

A two-year project to paint twelve Montréal Canadiens hockey greats, which included Maurice Richard, Henri Richard, Jean Béliveau, Dickie Moore, Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Guy Carbonneau, Yvon Lambert, Guy Lafleur, Patrick Roy, and Frank Mahovlich, garnered much attention and culminated in a gala reception attended by the players. Pivet’s twelve original works on canvas paid tribute to these legendary figures of hockey, each an icon in Canadian sports culture.

Pivet’s works are exhibited in Europe and North America and are collected by both corporations and individuals worldwide; his paintings have found homes Belgium, Canada, France, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Switzerland, and the United States. In Canada, his work is held in a number of corporate collections, including those of Pratt & Whitney, SNC Lavalin, Gaz Métropolitain, and Deloitte & Touche.