Raymond Peynet was born in Paris in 1908. At age fifteen he gained entrance to the famous “Ecole des Arts Appliqués,” a school which happened to be located just opposite the bistro owned by his parents who had moved from the Auvergne to Paris some years before.He really started learning his trade when he began work as a draughtsman for Tolmer, an advertising agency in Paris, doing various tasks from sweeping the floor to drawing labels for perfume bottles and decorating biscuit boxes, eventually progressing to the creation of various advertisements. In 1930 he married Denise Damour.
In order to make a better living, he started publishing his drawings in the Parisian press which included many popular editions at that time: Le Rire, Rire à deux, Paris magazine, The Boulevardier (a publication for the British population in Paris). But it was in 1942 that his life would take a new turn.
Having been asked to deliver a confidential document to a correspondent located in Valence in the department of the Drôme, he was sitting on a bench where the appointment with the correspondent had been arranged. This bench was right opposite the music kiosk (classified historical monument since 1982). He drew a young, long-haired violinist playing alone in the kiosk and a young girl listening to him with great admiration.
A number of years later the violinist was replaced by a poet and the girl became his lover.
Les Amoureux de Peynet were born. Their images travelled across the world and were reproduced on porcelain, scarves and dolls, in books, as medallions and even statues (such as the one erected in Hiroshima, Japan). The image of the Peynet lovers has been stamped on anything symbolising love! Georges Brassens would not have written “Les bancs publics” (Public benches) without my lovers, said Peynet.
Charles Aznavour also dedicated a song to them interpreted by Marcel Amont: “les amants en papier” (Paper lovers).
Biographical notes by Annie Peynet, his granddaughter.
Four museums are presently dedicated to Peynet: Antibes, Brassac les Mines, Karuizawa (Nagano, Japan) and Mimasaka (Okayama, Japan). Raymond Peynet died on 14 January 1999 at the age of 90.
This is part 3 of a 3-part series on the works of Raymond Peynet
For earlier works see parts 1 & 2 also.
Note: Dates were not found for the remainder of works in this series on Raymond Peynet:
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| I like you a lot. Your seafood is lovely, as for the rest, with a good mayonnaise ... |
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| I live in love's hideaway |
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| - I made it in the "wood of lovers" near the fountain of "little happiness"... |
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| I'm leaving you, darling! People get impatient behind me... |
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| In Saint-Tropez, I will show you my breasts…. |
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Is it exciting what you're reading darling?…
I believe you! The Nicolas wine catalogue... |
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| - It is already very similar ... |
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| - It's not surprising. When you live with a poet, you have to expect everything ... |
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| - It's wonderful to still find poets who, in winter, dream of spring ... |
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Kiss on the Balcony
hand-coloured lithograph 51 x 38 cm |
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Teatime
colour lithograph 63 x 42.5 cm |
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The hunt for the stars
70 x 50 cm |
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The lovers kiosk, Valence
colour lithograph 69.8 x 49.5 cm |
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Le Kiosk
postage stamp from the year 2000 |
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Le Kiosk
The "Peynet Kiosk on the Champ de Mars in Valence |
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le musée Peynet, Antibes
poster |
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| The Lovers on the Ramparts, Antibes |
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The Lovers
lithograph on paper 75 x 53.5 cm |
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The Lovers
colour lithograph 74.3 x 51.4 |
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The Lovers in a Balloon
colour lithograph 57.5 x 45.5 cm |
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But don't walk around naked
colour lithograph 51 x 38 cm |
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- Mathilde! M for "Mésange (Azure) Tit"
A for "Alouette cochevis"... |
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| Mozart |
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| - My dress is from "Puces." As for the hat, I found it at "Pick me up."... |
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During the service
colour lithograph 42 x 31.5 cm |
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| - Poetry, I don't care! Because who is it always sets the table? ... |
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| - Poets must dream, otherwise they are unhappy ... |
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| - Rain of kisses, followed by heartbeats. Night will fall slowly ... |
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Seventh Heaven
colour lithograph on Chromomate paper 75 x 56 cm |
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| - She had told me, however: "Sunday 4 pm at the Natural History Museum" ... |
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| The Christmas grinder. |
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- The telephone works
... a little... not very well... not at all... The phone … |
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There was a lot of wind that night…
colour lithograph 75 x 56 cm |
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| - To do the housework, the shopping, the cooking, love, watch television, cooking... Do you think it's a life? |
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The lovers
brown crayon 29 x 23 cm |
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- You prefer Nicolas...
- But my darling it's all about wine...
advertisement |
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| - You give me my little gift and I fool myself completely. |
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| - You can love nature, but at this point ... |
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| - You are the new muse?... |
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| - Without Legend. |
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Will the night be long enough?…
colour lithograph on Chromomate paper 75 x 56 cm |
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Why do you want to leave?
colour lithograph on Chromomate paper 75 x 56 cm |
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| When you don't have oil, you have to use human warmth ... |
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| - We will sow our whole life ... |
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| - We can be shy, but at this point... |
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