Collection: Pierre Andrieu
Pierre Andrieu was born in 1821 in Fenouillet, Haute-Garonne, and died in 1892 in Paris. He trained as a painter in the French academic tradition, working primarily in Paris during the mid-to-late 19th century. His early career coincided with the rise of Romanticism and the later dominance of Academic art in France.
Andrieu specialized in animal subjects, particularly large cats, rendered with precise anatomical detail and dramatic lighting. His works, such as "The Lion Hunt" (1855) and "Wounded Lioness" (c. 1850), reflect the influence of Romantic themes and the technical rigor of the École des Beaux-Arts. He also executed portrait busts and historical restorations, including a documented intervention on the "Statue of Henry IV" in 1817.
His animal paintings were exhibited in Parisian Salons and collected by institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago. While his work aligned with Academic conventions, his focus on wildlife subjects contributed to the 19th-century tradition of animalier art, which later intersected with Naturalist and Symbolist depictions of nature.
