Brief overview of the Pellerin achive collection – Archives de Rennes

Following two and half years of work, the Pellerin archive collection has been filed. Francis Pellerin was a sculptor and painter from Rennes (b.1915–d.1998). It is the only complete artist’s archive collection held by the Archives de Rennes (7.79 linear metres, 25.56 linear feet).

The main part of the collection concerns Pellerin’s artistic production, which is essentially divided between monumental works and studio works. The monumental works were made for (mostly public) commissions and designed for specific architectural settings.
The post-war years benefited from public commissions of monumental works thanks to the 1% artistique scheme instituted in law in 1951, in a context marked by reconstruction, an improved economic climate and population increase.
Pellerin worked mainly in Rennes and in Britanny more widely. These monumental pieces are presented through administrative documents, correspondence and studies (drawings, montages, painted sketches, etc.) – of interest principallybecause they illustrate the artist’s creative process.

Most of the artist’s projects were for education buildings. Anascope is one example, produced in 1961 for Rennes University’s science faculty (architect: Louis Arretche, 60 Z 41). Apart from his 1% artistique commissions, Pellerin contributed to the decoration of thirty or so religious buildings, such as the Church of Saint Yves in Rennes (architects: Yves Perrin and Georges
Martin, 60 Z 30). He also devoted part of his time to private commissions.
The files are particularly informative on Pellerin’s collaboration with well-known architects during the period of rebuilding that followed the Second World War and the Trente Glorieuses (the ‘Glorious Thirty’ post-war boom years), and on the buildings they designed in Rennes. These architects included Louis Arretche, Henry Auffret, Yves Guillou, Georges Martin and Yves Perrin, among others. The files contain many architectural plans.

In contrast to the monumental works, the studio works were not site-specific and were generally not commissioned. They fall into two categories: sculptures and paintings. The drawings and sketches show Pellerin’s artistic development.

The Pellerin archive collection also maps the sculptor’s artistic career, beginning with the file on the first prize in the sculpture category of the Prix de Rome that he was awarded for Amazone in 1944 (60 Z 171). In the 1950s and 1960s, Pellerin was involved in artistic groups and trends focusing on geometric abstraction, notably the Groupe Mesure. Marie Berhaut, director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes from 1949 to 1968, organised an exhibition for this group in 1961. From the 1950s to the 1990s, Pellerin’s career was punctuated by exhibitions, both in France and abroad. In 2005, a retrospective was held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes in tribute to him (60 Z 188).

Pellerin was also a teacher. He gave classes in sculpture, pointing and modelling at the École des Beaux-Arts in Rennes (60 Z 196 to 204) until 1978 and taught modelling at the Rennes École d’Architecture (60 Z 205 to 211) until 1979. In addition to his teaching, the files show how the two schools functioned and the repercussions of the events of May 1968 on the curricula as a result of the reform that followed (60 Z 209 and 210).

Contents

Activity as a sculptor ………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 1 to 4, 106, 125
Artistic production ………………………………………………………. 60 Z 5 to 105, 107 to 170, 220 to 224
Artistic reflection …………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 5 to 12
Monumental works and studio works ………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 13 to 18
Graphic studies ………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 13 to 17
Indeterminate studies ………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 18
Monumental works …………………………………………………….. 60 Z 19 to 105, 107 to 151, 220 to 224
Studies …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 19 to 23
Completed works …………………………………………… 60 Z 24 to 105, 107 to 117, 221 to 222, 224
Buildings dedicated to worship ………………………………………………………… 60 Z 24 to 38, 224
Interdepartmental …………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 24 to 26
Ille-et-Vilaine ……………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 27 to 33, 224
Morbihan ………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 34 to 35
Finistère …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 36
Calvados ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 37
Orne ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 38
Education buildings ……………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 39 to 85, 221
Ille-et-Vilaine …………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 39 to 63
Côtes-d’Armor …………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 64 to 68
Morbihan ………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 69 to 77
Finistère …………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 78 to 81
Loire-Atlantique ………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 82
Mayenne ………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 83 to 84
Aveyron …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 85
Non-education public sector buildings …………………………………………….. 60 Z 86 to 105, 222
Ille-et-Vilaine ………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 86 to 101, 222
Côtes-d’Armor ………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 102
Morbihan …………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 103 to 104
Calvados ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 105
Private commissions …………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 107 to 117
Ille-et-Vilaine ……………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 107 to 110
Morbihan …………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 111 to 114
Calvados ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 115
Vendée ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 116
Paris ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 117
Non-completed works ……………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 118 to 150
Buildings dedicated to worship ……………………………………………………………. 60 Z 118 to 126
Ille-et-Vilaine ……………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 118 to 120
Morbihan ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 121

Private Archives

60 Z – Archive Collection of the Sculptor Francis Pellerin (1881–2021)

Finistère ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 122
Calvados ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 123
Vendée ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 124
Algeria …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 126
Education buildings ………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 127 to 132
Ille-et-Vilaine ……………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 127 to 128
Côtes-d’Armor ………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 129
Morbihan ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 130
Finistère ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 131
Loire-Atlantique …………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 132
Non-education public sector buildings …………………………………………………. 60 Z 133 to 143
Ille-et-Vilaine ……………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 133 to 134
Morbihan ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 135
Finistère ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 136
Orne ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 137
Indre-et-Loire ………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 138
Charente-Maritime …………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 139
Paris ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 140
Seine-Saint-Denis …………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 141
Val-de-Marne ………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 142
Germany ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 143
Private commissions ………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 144 to 150
Ille-et-Vilaine …………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 144
Morbihan …………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 145 to 147
Corrèze ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 148
Paris ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 149
Panama ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 150
Works where completion is uncertain …………………………………………………………. 60 Z 151, 223
Non-education public sector buildings ……………………………………………………. 60 Z 151, 223
Ille-et-Vilaine …………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 223
Côtes-d’Armor ………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 151
Studio works ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 152 to 170
Sculptures …………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 152 to 158
Paintings……………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 159 to 170
First and second geometric periods …………………………………………………….. 60 Z 159 to 160
First geometric period ……………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 161 to 162
Second geometric period …………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 163 to 168
Landscapes …………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 169 to 170
The sculptor’s artistic career and his works ………………………………………… 60 Z 171 to 195, 225
Competitions and prizes ……………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 171 to 172
Groups and artistic trends ………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 173 to 180
Exhibitions (in chronological order) ……………………………………………………….. 60 Z 181 to 188, 225
Conference ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 189
Auction sales ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 190 to 191

Private Archives

60 Z – Archive Collection of the Sculptor Francis Pellerin (1881–2021)

Donation to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes ………………………………………… 60 Z 192 to 193
Research on the sculptor’s work ………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 194 to 195
Teaching ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 60 Z 196 to 212, 226
École des Beaux-arts de Rennes …………………………………………………………. 60 Z 196 to 204, 226
École d’Architecture de Rennes ………………………………………………………………….. 60 Z 205 to 211
Jury member for the national competitive exam for fine art study …………………………….. 60 Z 212
Personal archives ………………………………………………………………………………………. 60 Z 213 to 219