Artist Pierre Clerk is the second profile in our video series called Living!  Pierre was an easy choice for the series, which features older people who continue to pursue their passions, find new interests and do meaningful and creative things. Consider them leaders in the field of Living!  Watch and get some inspiration.

85-year-old Pierre Clerk continues to paint, sculpt and exhibit the abstract work that reflects his intellectual curiosity.  Pierre inspires because he continues to take risks, seek challenges and explore the world around him.

Ten years ago, he sold his artist’s loft in New York’s Soho and against the advice of many friends and colleagues, moved to France. This was the  anti-retirement gambit. Instead of looking for a small cozy place, Pierre and his wife Linda Mandel discovered Le Laurier in  southern Bordeaux.  The previous owners had updated a monastery, which Pierre thinks may date back to the 13th Century, and turned the stone structure into a home. Pierre and Linda fell in love.

It’s easy to see why.  The romantic property, behind stone walls, sits on a hill that overlooks the countryside. The French call this area, La France profonde, which means deeply French. Any American couple, of any age, even one with a French-Canadian family history like Pierre’s, might have had trouble acclimating.

But Pierre and Linda moved beyond all that. They turned an old barn into a studio for Pierre and he began to create new work. And then, he was discovered by the Bordeaux gallery Cortex Athletico.

They mounted a show of his painting and sculpture that led to other shows. Suddenly,  Pierre Clerk’s brilliant abstractions drew the attention of new galleries, art fans and collectors.

Watch the Living! Pierre Clerk video and you’ll learn what motivates Pierre Clerk and what he thinks about life and creativity.

Quick Pierre Clerk facts:

• Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1928.
• Family was from Montreal, Canada
• Studied at McGill University, Loyola College, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Academy Julien in Paris, and Accademia di belle Arti in Florence.
• His work is in the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Canada, Montreal Museum, Brooklyn Museum and many others. His monumental public sculptures have been installed in cities as diverse as New York and Toledo, Ohio.

Watch and get some inspiration!

Also watch Living! Ann McGovern