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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Sérusier's house, located at Châteauneuf-du-Faou in Finistère, was built in 1906 to serve as a residence for the painter Paul Sérusier until his death in 1927. The latter, a major figure of the Pont-Aven School and the Nabi movement, realized in 1912 a monumental painted decoration in the corridor of the first floor and the stairwell, directly applied on plaster. This 17-metre-long decor consists of 26 square panels with cosmic motifs (signs of the Zodiac, planets), religious and geometric, reflecting his symbolic research inspired by the theories of Father Désiderius Lenz.

The architecture of the house, without any particular stylistic pretension, is part of the 19th century village tradition. Its heritage interest lies above all in its interior decor, originally supplemented by canvases (today scattered) and two chimneys with figurative motifs still in place. The ensemble illustrates Serusier's quest for "universal canons" in painting, synthesizing Breton influences, spirituality and geometric abstraction.

Since 21 November 1995, the house has witnessed the Breton anchor of Sérusier, who lived there after being removed from the circle of Pont-Aven while remaining faithful to the region as a source of inspiration. The site, located at 27 rue Paul-Sérusier, thus preserves a unique trace of symbolism and its dialogue with Breton territory.

The painter, trained at the Julian Academy in Paris, had discovered Brittany in 1888, first attending Pont-Aven and Le Pouldu, where he met Gauguin. The latter gave him decisive artistic principles, as evidenced by Le Talisman (1888), a painting-manifest of the Pont-Aven School. Sérusier became the theoretician, before settling permanently in Châteauneuf-du-Faou, marking a milestone between his nabi years and his creative maturity.

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