Pierre Courtin

In 1939, Courtin took engraving lessons at the École régionale des beaux-arts d'Orléans. He then devoted most of his time to agricultural or logging work.

He came to Paris in 1942, studied under Lucien Pénat at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, attended neighbouring workshops1 and then worked at the Académie Julian and André Lhote in 1943. He undertook various tasks for Jacques Villon, whom he frequented until 1951.

In 1944 he enrolled at the Ranson Academy where he had Francis Gruber as his proofreader. He met César Domela, Auguste Herbin, Alberto Magnelli, Antoine Pevsner, Serge Poliakoff and other abstract painters, as well as the critic Charles Estienne.

In 1947, Pierre Courtin worked as an intaglio printer at Georges Leblanc where he remained until 1951. Disciple of Charles Sapoulin, he prints the engravings of Jacques Villon and Roger Vieillard