Born into a family of lawyers, Ponthier de Chamaillard studied law in Brittany, but was attracted by painting. His encounter with Paul Gauguin in 1888 during his second stay in Pont-Aven, proved to be decisive. Gauguin, always in search of the primitive and spontaneous, appreciated the naïve simplicity of Chamaillard’s small paintings, encouraging and advising him. For several years, Chamaillard devoted his life to painting. However, needing to earn a living, in 1903 he finally opened a lawyer’s practice in Châteaulin and was sworn in as barrister. For want of time, he painted little. His style was that of the Impressionists and he produced a few landscapes of the surrounding region, such as the Bay of Douarnenez or the coast of Pouldu. In 1901, his work was exhibited by Ambroise Vollard, with the exhibition catalogue prefaced by the critic Arsène Alexandre: in addition to paintings, he exhibited multi-coloured objects and carved furniture in the style of Gauguin. In 1905, having inherited from his father, he could devote his time exclusively to his art. He had two exhibitions with Bernheim Jeune, in 1906 and 1910, but in 1914, a second exhibition that was to have been organised by Vollard with a preface by Guillaume Apollinaire was unfortunately cancelled due to the outbreak of the war. The poet, seduced by Chamaillard’s landscapes exhibited at the 1913 Salon d’Automne, mentioned the "delicacy" of the painter’s work.
To enquire about one of our beautiful pieces simply fill out this form and a member of our team will be in touch with you. We can also answer queries about exhibitions, private viewings, restorations and more.
If there's a piece you're particularly interested in, we'd suggest taking advantage of our Artist's apartment for a complimentary one to two night stay while you visit the gallery and the historic surroundings.
