About the Artist
Alexandre Renoir was born in Cagnes-Sur-Mer in the south of France. When he was 4 years old, his family moved to Canada. Even after leaving France, as the great-grand son of the great French Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alexandre grew-up surrounded by art and artists. His famous family members include film director Jean Renoir, actor Pierre Renoir, director of photography Claude Renoir Jr., and Claude's daughter actress Sophie Renoir, to name a few. Artistic from a young age, Alexandre went to various arts-oriented schools including the fine arts based Virginia Park School (Edmonton, Alberta) and the Victoria School of Performing & Visual Arts where he graduated in 1993. In addition to his formal education, he also attended classes at the Alberta Museum on Aboriginal Arts and Crafts garnering experience in sculpture, pottery, woodworking, stone carving, commercial art, photography and painting. Although he was immersed in the arts and culture of his environment, Alexandre remained primarily an observer until his drawing abilities were tapped by his brother Emmanuel. During a visit to La Jolla, CA, Emmanuel gave Alexandre some drawing paper and challenged him to draw with charcoal. The results were impressive, delighting both Alexandre and his brother. From the first sheet, Alexandre could naturally draw in various styles. His charcoal drawings are created with a sense of ease and grace that is reminiscent of the beauty and charm of the Impressionist period.