Hector de Pétigny (1904–92) was a French artist who made paintings, sculpture, engravings and stained glass. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(1939–45) he undertook many commissions from the historical monuments organization in Picardy, where many historical buildings had been damaged. He is perhaps best known for the stained glass windows he made for the Basilica of Saint-Quentin.

Life

Hector de Pétigny was born in 1904. He studied art in

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

, then in 1923 was admitted to the

École des Beaux Arts École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région ...

in Paris. He left that school in 1934. He became a member of the Témoignage (Testimony) group, which included

Jean Le Moal Jean Le Moal (30 October 1909 – 16 March 2007) was a French painter of the new Paris school, designer of stained glass windows, and one of the founder members of the Salon de Mai. Biography Jean Le Moal enrolled at the "Ecole des Beaux-Ar ...

Étienne Martin Étienne Martin (1913–1995) was a French non-figurative sculptor. Biography He was born Henri Étienne-Martin 4 February 1913 in Loriol, Drôme, France. He attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts de Lyon from 1929 to 1933, where he met Marcel Mi ...

Alfred Manessier Alfred Manessier (5 December 1911, Saint-Ouen – 1 August 1993, Orléans) was a non-figurative French painter, stained glass artist, and tapestry designer, part of the new School of Paris and the Salon de Mai. Biography Manessier was born amo ...

, Jean Bertholle and

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

. He exhibited with this group in New York in 1939. He regularly exhibited at the

Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

until 1948. De Pétigny taught in Paris at the École d’Art et Publicité (School of Art and Advertising). There were many reconstruction projects in Picardy in the aftermath of

. From 1951 de Pétigny began to accept commissions from the Monuments Historiques. He was asked to create replacement stained glass windows for the Basilica of Saint-Quentin, which had been badly damaged during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–18). From 1954 Hector de Pétigny created 16 stained glass windows for the choir of the basilica in the upper levels of nine bays, each almost high. He also created the stained glass of seven medallions of almost in diameter, mounted above the windows. He made stations of the cross in churches in Vorges, Coucy-le-Château and Marle, and made wooden decorations for the departmental archives in

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

. In 1969 Hector de Pétigny returned to his family home in

Vorges Vorges () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population People associated with the commune * Édouard Fleury (1815–83): Historian, writer * Champfleury (1821–89): Journalist, writer * Gaston Gan ...

, Aisne, where he lived the rest of his life. He died in 1992. The Association des Amis de Laon et du Laonnois has established a Hector de Pétigny tour of the sites in northern

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

. He was also interested in cubism. His use of geometric forms placed him in the "

Second School of Paris The School of Paris (french: École de Paris) refers to the French and émigré artists who worked in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. The School of Paris was not a single art movement or institution, but refers to the importance ...

" after the war.

Notes

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petigny, Hector de 1904 births 1992 deaths People from Aisne 20th-century French painters Stained glass artists and manufacturers