Pierre Molinier (April 13, 1900 – March 3, 1976) was a French painter, photographer and "maker of objects".

Early life and education

Pierre Molinier was born in

Agen Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485. Geography The city of Agen l ...

, France, and spent most of his life in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

. He began his artistic career as a landscape painter and took up photography at the age of 18. Following his military service from 1921 to 1922, Molinier traveled to Paris to study and copy masterworks. Before this, he had apprenticed with his father and with Pierre Augustin de Fumadelles, a sculptor. In Paris, Molinier reportedly avoided overexposure to major works of art, regarding it as part of a personal philosophy on "how to create a work of art."

Career

Molinier's work evolved from landscape painting to erotic imagery with fetishistic themes. In 1955, he established contact with leading surrealist

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

and sent him photographs of his paintings. He was subsequently integrated into the Surrealist group, and by 1959, his work was included in the International Surrealist Exhibition. The Surrealists described the purpose of his art as "for my own stimulation", a sentiment later reflected in a provocative contribution to the 1965 exhibition: a

dildo A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for sexual penetration or other sexual activity during masturbation or with sex partners. Dildos are made from a number of materials. The shape and size are typically t ...

. Molinier’s interests in esotericism developed after World War I, when he joined a masonic order known as the Brotherhood. During this period, he became fascinated with ancient Egyptian and Indian religions, as well as

Satanism Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religious figure, Satanism—as well as other religious ...

. Between 1965 and his death in 1976, Molinier documented his exploration of transgressive and transsexual themes in the photo series ''Cent photographies érotiques''. These black-and-white images often depicted scenes of pain and pleasure, and featured Molinier himself, either with female models or lifelike

mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

s. Using a

remote control A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...

shutter, he posed as a transvestite figure dressed in fishnet stockings,

suspender belt A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking ...

stiletto A stiletto (plural stilettos) is a specialized dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, primarily intended as a thrusting and stabbing weapon.Limburg, Peter R., ''What's In The Names Of Antique Weapons'', Coward, McCann & Geoghega ...

heels, masks, and

corset A corset /ˈkɔːrsɪt/ is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and Posture correction, posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of Baleen, whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in th ...

s. Many compositions employed

photomontage Photomontage is the process and the result of making a composite photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting composite image is photographed so that the final imag ...

to produce surreal amalgamations of limbs and bodies. He stated that his erotic work was created for personal stimulation: "In painting, I was able to satisfy my leg and nipple fetishism." He claimed that his sexual attraction focused not on gender but on specific features, especially hairless legs in black stockings. Regarding his use of dolls, Molinier remarked: "While a doll can function as a substitute for a woman, there is no movement, no life. This has a certain charm if one is before a beautiful corpse. The doll can, but does not have to become the substitute for a woman." Molinier frequently explored connections between religious ritual and sexuality, which he believed had been repressed by post-Renaissance moral codes. He styled himself as a transvestite

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics, an ...

who expressed his ideas through objects—corsets, masks, and chains—rather than words. He sought to subvert conventional morality and aesthetic norms, likening himself to a

jester A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...

who challenged social

taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

s. He also referenced ancient

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

ic traditions in his work. His experimentation with sexual transformation was, in his view, an attempt to reclaim a primordial androgynous ideal. His planned autobiography was to have been titled ''The Shaman and His Creatures''.

Personal life

Molinier married Andrea Lafaye on 7 July 1931 in Bordeaux.

Later years and death

During the last 11 years of his life, Molinier staged many of his most intimate and provocative works in the "theatre" of his Bordeaux

boudoir A (; ) is a woman's private sitting room or salon in a furnished residence, usually between the dining room and the bedroom, but can also refer to a woman's private bedroom. The term derives from the French verb ''bouder'' (to sulk or pout ...

–

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...

. He intended these photographs to shock, encouraging viewers to respond with either excitement or disgust. In the 1970s, his health began to decline. Molinier died by suicide at the age of 76, reportedly either by shooting himself or by hanging himself in a hotel room, leaving a note that read: "I'm taking my life. The key is at the concierge's." His epitaph reads: "Here lies Pierre Molinier. He was a man without morals."

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

References