Landing Beaches of Normandy, French National Railroads (Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais)

Albert Victor Eugene Brenet was born June 25, 1903 in Harfleur, France, near Le Havre. He died at the age of 102 on July 4, 2005 in Paris. He painted primarily in gouache. Brenet is one of the most important French sea painters. He travelled the globe for seventy years. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Paris in 1921 where he was a pupil of the Impressionist painter Ernest Laurent. In 1935 he began traveling for the magazine L'Illustration and continued to work for the journal, making numerous trips and delivering many reports. In 1936, Brenet was appointed official painter to the French navy. Brenet is the only artist ever to have been granted specialities in all three services--army, navy, and air force. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur. An important French sea painter, the artist was involved in many advertising campaigns for the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique. Among his gouaches and drawings are images of the French countryside, mountains, the Tunisian desert, Spain, Japan, and a bestiary which presents sketches of lions, tigers, and horses.