Etching, Arches paper, 51 x 38 cm plate imprint, 71 x 56 cm in light passe - partout; signed in pencil by the author "Peynet" p.d.; limited edition, numbered in pencil 133/220 l.d. On the reverse, stamp of a law firm , confirming authenticity. Publisher: Mouret, realized by Studio Rigal.
Raymond Peynet was a world-famous French illustrator whose charming, romantic figures became an icon of love and happiness around the world. He is best known for his series of drawings depicting a pair of lovers commonly known as Les Amoureux de Peynet (Peynet's Lovers).
The idea to create this couple was born in 1942 in Valence. Peynet was sitting on a park bench and, inspired by the gazebo where orchestras usually played, drew two characters on a napkin - a bearded, slender poet and a delicate, long-haired girl. The drawing quickly gained popularity, and their images appeared on countless products. In the 1950s and 1960s, the "Lovers" became a symbol of France from another era.
Peynet's figures appeared on: porcelain and crystal (such as in the Limoges and Daum manufactories), jewelry, vinyl records, scarves, postage stamps, and figurines.
Peynet collaborated with many artists, including Georges Brassens, who wrote the song "Les amoureux des bancs publics" (Lovers from the public benches ) inspired by his work.
Peynet created a total of 6,000 drawings dedicated to "Lovers." The French Post Office issued a Valentine's Day stamp with Peynet's drawing in 1985, and in 2000 a 3 franc (€0.46) stamp was issued in memory of the late artist with a drawing of Lovers under Peynet's gazebo. In France, three museums have been dedicated to Peynet's work: in Valence, in Antibes on the Côte d'Azur and in Brassac-les-Mines, his mother's hometown, and in Japan two: in Karuizawa and in Sakuto. A volume of Peynet's drawings was published in Poland in 1958.
