Born Feb. 25, 1841, Limoges, France died Dec. 3, 1919, Cagnes)

Pierre Renoir's family was poor. His father was a stone mason, and his mother a seamstress. Pierre was one of six children. The Renoir family moved early to Paris, and Pierre was apprenticed at thirteen to paint porcelain. He enrolled in the school of fine arts at 21. At this time, he was working in the studio of Gleyre with Sisley, Bazille and Monet. Renoir became a leading member of the Impressionists who met at the Café Guerbois.

Renoir underwent much financial hardship, but began to achieve success as a portrait painter in the late 1870s. He had 'travelled as far as Impressionism could take me' and, after a visit to Italy in 1881-1882, began to inject a greater sense of solidarity in his work The change in attitude is seen in The Umbrellas (below) , which was evidently begun before the visit to Italy and finished afterwards; the two little girls on the right are painted with the feathery brush-strokes characteristic of his Impressionist manner, but the figures on the left are done in a crisper and drier style, with duller coloring.

Renoir's subjects: pretty children, lovely women, beautiful scenes, flowers, have direct and unapologetic appeal "why shouldn’t art be pretty," he said, "there are enough unpleasant things in the world." His images, such as the Bathers and the Luncheon of the Boating Party are gloriously satisfying, and conjure up a lost world, full of sparkling colour and light.  Here are delightful, intimate scenes of the French middle class at leisure in the country or at cafes and concerts in Paris. He was one of the great worshippers of the female form: `I never think I have finished a nude until I think I could pinch it.'

In the 1890s, Pierre Renoir became rheumatic, and in 1903 (when already world famous), moved to the south of France. By 1912 he was wheelchair bound, but continued to paint, and took up sculpture. One of his sons, the film director Jean, wrote a lively and touching biography of his father.