Pierre Gandon
Encyclopedia
Pierre Gandon was a French illustrator and engraver of postage stamp
s. He was born January 20, 1899 in L'Haÿ-les-Roses
(Val-de-Marne
) and died July 23, 1990.
and designed stamps for some countries and two for France (Le Burelé 50 Francs in 1936 and the cathedral of Strasbourg in 1939).
Pierre Gandon studied in Paris at the École Estienne
, then at the École des Beaux-Arts
. He won his first of many prizes in 1921 : the Prix de Rome
.
series issued 1941 in the French colony of Dahomey
.
The same year was issued his first stamp for France : the coat of arms
of Reims
.
Four times he received the Grand Prix de l'Art philatélique during his career that includes three French definitive stamp
s series :
His last stamp was issued for the Journée du timbre 1983.
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s. He was born January 20, 1899 in L'Haÿ-les-Roses
L'Haÿ-les-Roses
L'Haÿ-les-Roses is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. L'Haÿ-les-Roses is a sous-préfecture of the Val-de-Marne département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of L'Haÿ-les-Roses....
(Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne is a French department, named after the Marne River, located in the Île-de-France region. The department is situated to the southeast of the city of Paris.- Geography :...
) and died July 23, 1990.
Youth
His father Gaston Gandon was himself an engraver at the Institut de gravure of ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and designed stamps for some countries and two for France (Le Burelé 50 Francs in 1936 and the cathedral of Strasbourg in 1939).
Pierre Gandon studied in Paris at the École Estienne
École Estienne
L’école Estienne is the traditional name of the Graduate School of Arts and Printing Industry. It is located at 18, Boulevard Auguste-Blanqui in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, not far from the Butte-aux-Cailles.-History:...
, then at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
. He won his first of many prizes in 1921 : the Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
.
Stamp designer
Gandon answered an advertisement in a paper and finally obtained the right to design "Femme indigène", his first postage stampPostage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
series issued 1941 in the French colony of Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
.
The same year was issued his first stamp for France : the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
.
Four times he received the Grand Prix de l'Art philatélique during his career that includes three French definitive stamp
Definitive stamp
A definitive stamp is a postage stamp, that is part of a regular issue of a country's stamps available for sale by the postal service for an extended period of time...
s series :
- Marianne de Gandon series issued at the end of the Second World War,
- Sabine de Gandon series inspired by Jacques-Louis DavidJacques-Louis DavidJacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
's The Intervention of the Sabine Women, issued during the 1970s, - and Liberté de Gandon series inspired by Eugène DelacroixEugène DelacroixFerdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
's Liberty Leading the PeopleLiberty Leading the PeopleLiberty Leading the People is a painting by Eugène Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled Charles X of France. A woman personifying Liberty leads the people forward over the bodies of the fallen, holding the tricouleur flag of the French Revolution in one hand and...
. He was 82 years old when he engraved this stamp.
His last stamp was issued for the Journée du timbre 1983.