Alfred Guillou
Illustration — Alfred Guillou; portrait by Peder Severin Krøyer (1879) Alfred Guillou (12 September 1844, Concarneau – 1926, Concarneau) was a French painter of Breton heritage.
Also recorded as A. Guillou
Alfred Guillou

Alfred Guillou · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark
- Born
- 1844 · Concarneau.
- Died
- 1926 · Concarneau.
- Nationality
- France
- Occupation
- painter
- Fields
- portrait
- Teachers
- Alexandre Cabanel
- Known for
- Arrival of the pardon of Saint Anne de Fouesnant in Concarneau
- Honours
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Languages
- French
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Alfred Guillou; portrait by Peder Severin Krøyer (1879) Alfred Guillou (12 September 1844, Concarneau – 1926, Concarneau) was a French painter of Breton heritage.
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Note VALÉORINE
Alfred Guillou (1844–1926) was a French painter. The painter was born and died in Concarneau.
Genres include portrait. Languages used include French. Alfred Guillou received Knight of the Legion of Honour.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2835161 · wikipedia · Alfred Guillou
In this article
Biography
Biography
Training under Alexandre Cabanel is recorded. The recorded working language is French. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are portrait. Works named in the authority record are Arrival of the pardon of Saint Anne de Fouesnant in Concarneau. Work by Alfred Guillou is recorded in the collections of Musée d'Orsay, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper, Musée d'art et d'histoire de Saint-Brieuc and Musée de la Pêche, Concarneau. Distinctions recorded are Knight of the Legion of Honour.
His father was a fisherman and farmer who served as mayor of Concarneau for fifteen years. He received his first art lessons from the lithographer Théodore Le Monnier (1815–1888), who was visiting Concarneau. On his advice, Guillou moved to Paris in 1862, where he attended the Académie Suisse for a short time, then found a position in the workshop of Alexandre Cabanel. While there, he met Jules Bastien-Lepage, Fernand Cormon and Théophile Deyrolle, who he convinced to give up architecture and join him at Cabanel's. He debuted at the Paris Salon of 1868 with his Young Breton Fisherman. Three years later, he and his friend Deyrolle left Paris for Concarneau, with nothing more than they could carry on their backs. The following year, Deyrolle married Guillou's sister Suzanne (1846-1933), who was also a painter. Together, they created the Concarneau Art Colony, which benefitted from its proximity to Pont-Aven, where Paul Gauguin and his followers congregated. He also exhibited works at both the 1889 and 1900 Universal Exhibitions in Paris where he received silver medals. • Illustration — Goodbye! (1892; Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper). After his marriage to the daughter of the engraver Joseph Gabriel Tourny (1817–1880), he maintained a home in Montparnasse, but spent as much time as possible in his hometown. Following his father's death in 1887, he built a home and workshop there, became involved in local politics and joined the board of the Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper. Over the years, the Colony attracted many artists who were either interested in maritime subjects or wanted to achieve a sort of primitivism; represented for them by the traditions of the Breton people, which had survived mostly intact from an earlier period. Among the better-known artists who spent time there were Peder Severin Krøyer, Charles Cottet, Jules Bastien-Lepage, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret, Amélie Lundahl, Cecilia Beaux and T. Alexander Harrison.
Some of Guillou's works
Some of Guillou's works
• "Le dernier marin du "Vengeur"". This Guillou painting was purchased by the French state from the Paris Salon of 1881. • "Arrivée du pardon de Sainte-Anne de Fouesnant, Concarneau". This Guillou painting was purchased by the French state from the Paris Salon of 1887. A photograph of the painting can be seen in the gallery below. • "Bretonne portant du goémon" or "Ramasseuse de goémon". This painting dates to 1890 and is held by the Musée de Jacobins in Morlaix. A preliminary sketch can be seen in the Paris Musée du Louvre département des Arts graphiques. • " Arrivée des Pecheurs de Sardines". Painting can be seen in Saint-Brieuc's Musée d'art et d'histoire des Côtes-d'Armor. • "Debarquement du Thon à Concarneau". This painting can be seen in theSaint-Brieuc Musée d'art et d'histoire des Côtes-d'Armor. • "Au devant de son Père". This painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1897. • "La première Visite aux Grands-Parents". This painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1910. • "Jeune marin tenant dans ses bras un énorme poisson". This pencil sketch is held by the Paris Musée du Louvre département des Arts graphique.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1844
Alfred Guillou born at Concarneau.
1926
Alfred Guillou died at Concarneau.
Selected paintings
• Illustration — Street Musician • Illustration — Arrival of the Pardon of Sainte Anne at Concarneau (Quimper Musée des Beaux-arts) • Illustration — The Mussel Gatherer • Illustration — Sheltered from the Storm (Quimper Musée des Beaux-arts) • Illustration — The Kelp Picker
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Museum of Pont Aven: Exhibition notes with biography. (Cached)
- 2.Some biographical notes.
- 3.Album of photographs of works purchased by the French state from the Paris Salon of 1882.
- 4.Album of photographs of works purchased by the French state from the Paris Salon of 1882.
- 5.Base Joconde 50350229680 Bretonne portant du goémon
- 6.Base Joconde 00000095638 Arrivée des Pecheurs de Sardines/The arrival back into port of a sardine fishing boat
- 7.Base Joconde 00000095675 Debarquement du Thon à Concarneau
- 8.Postcard depicting painting "Au devant de son Père".
- 9.La première Visite aux Grands-Parents.
- 10.Base Joconde 50350132393 Jeune marin tenant dans ses bras un énorme poisson
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2835161: Alfred GuillouWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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