25 hand-sketched studies, early patent drawings, and original Pitre oils found
Thirty years after a fire destroyed the home of surrealist master painter John Pitre, several rare works—once thought destroyed—have been found undamaged.
The collection, which a studio manager found in a broken drawer, contains unpublished original drawings, color studies, and sketches.
A devastating fire destroyed most of Pitre's personal possessions thirty years ago, including his original art catalogue, prototypes for a range of inventions, as well as artifacts from a lifetime of international travel and a self-designed ultralight aircraft.
After the fire, Pitre managed to rebuild his body of work and become one of the top-selling painters of his time. Often called a modern-day DaVinci, Pitre designed and piloted experimental aircraft as well, and he founded Natural Power Concepts, a renewable energy technology company. He also invented two of the most financially successful fitness products of all time.
The items were found by a studio manager in a forgotten cabinet of locked metal drawers.
“Some of the drawers had been pinched closed and obviously not opened for years, maybe decades,” said Zach Thomson, manager of Pitre Fine Arts in Honolulu. “When we moved the studio, I dislodged the drawers, pulled everything out, and was shocked to find a huge stack of original drawings, color studies, and sketches - many of which remain unseen and unpublished to this day. John and everyone else had thought these items perished in the fire.”
Pitre's best-known works include “Restrictions” (which has sold over seven million copies in print) and “Split World,” which portrays the struggle of nature against industrial expansion and pollution. His career has spanned over fifty years.
The newly-discovered works are currently undergoing review and evaluation and may be made available to the public in the near future.
Images of the newly-discovered works are available at [http://www.johnpitre.com/exclusivemembers/].