Lionel Floch was born inQuimper in 1895 and died in 1972. He was a French painter, engraver, and designer.
Floch was the son of a naval officer and studied at the "Tour d'Auvergne" school in Quimper. After being mobilized during the 1914-1918 war, he studied painting underThéophile Deyrolle atConcarneau. He was also influenced byLucien Simon.[1] He had little love of abstract painting, concentrating on figurative works many depicting scenes of life in the "Pays Bigouden" and the area around Cap Sizun (Baie de Douarnenez, la baie d'Audierne, la Pointe du Raz.etc.). He painted the Breton pardons, scenes at the port and people collecting seaweed ("Le ramassage du goémon"). From 1923 to 1948, he worked as the registrar ofPont-Croix but continued to paint and was a leading figure in the Quimper intellectual and artistic community during these years, his friends includingJean Moulin andMax Jacob. Floch was anti-militarist, anti-clerical and anti-Gaullist. He executed portraits of Jacob and Moulin, who both died at the hands of the Germans. Moulin died on a train on the way to a concentration camp in Germany and Jacob died at theDrancy camp awaiting deportation.[2] In 1927, Floch showed his works at the Saluden Gallery in Brest. He then exhibited there regularly, and at the Lécuyer Gallery in Quimper. He also exhibited regularly at the French Artists Salon and in the Autumn Salon.[3] He was subsequently transferred as the registrar ofGrasse andChinon until finally retiring to Quimper in 1958 where he spent the rest of his life. In his final years he had a change of mind and became interested in abstract painting.
His works were numerous and include:-
1."La pêche à la sardine", one of Floch's paintings, was used to decorate sardine tins.[9]
2. In 2007 the "maison du marquisat" of Pont-Croix and the "Musée bigouden" ofPont-l'Abbé staged a retrospective of Floch's work.
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