René QUILLIVIC

René Quillivic (1879–1969) was a French sculptor and printmaker whose work offered a powerful visual articulation of Breton identity, tradition, and spirituality. Born in the coastal village of Plouhinec in Finistère, Quillivic rose from a background in carpentry to train in sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Antonin Mercié. While acclaimed for his public monuments—particularly World War I memorials in Brittany—he also produced a distinctive body of woodcut prints that reveal a more intimate, devotional dimension of his art.

Quillivic's printmaking practice began in earnest around 1912, when he became a member of the Société de la Gravure sur Bois Originale. Working primarily with plank woodcuts rather than finer engravings, he developed a bold, linear style that fused elements of Art Deco, Celtic symbolism, and Japonisme, often applied to subjects drawn from rural and religious life in Brittany.

René QUILLIVIC - La Prière du Soir - Woodcut on laid japan paper - 1919 - detail Sold
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La Prière du Soir

QUILLIVIC, René

Woodcut on laid japan paper. Edition of 50, but scarce, as are all of Quillivic's prints. Signed and numbered in pencil. 

René QUILLIVIC - Devant Dieu - Woodcut on laid japan paper - 1919 detail Sold
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Devant Dieu

QUILLIVIC, René

Woodcut on laid japan paper. Edition of 50, but scarce, as are all of Quillivic's prints. Signed and numbered in pencil.