Carpenter-cabinetmaker, married with two children, he gradually slipped into psychosis at the death of his wife. In 1950, he was confined to the psychiatric hospital of Lesvellec de Saint Avé (near Vannes). He spent his time carving series of scythes — always the same — as well as canes and couples from Brittany. The establishment put at his disposal a shed that served as his studio and a “shop” where he could sell his sculptures to the hospital staff and visitors coming to see the patients. With his savings he bought cigarettes. He worked with rudimentary tools, primarily a grafting knife. One witness described him as “a handsome, helpful and well-spoken man. He worked very often on commission, from morning to night. He would need 15 days for one scythe.” His small business made other people jealous and the director decided to put a stop to it. In 1989, he left the mental hospital for a nursing home. Destabilized and having lost everything he knew, he died a few months later. The medical secret makes it impossible to reveal his name.
ANONYMOUS . france (09) . “patient from saint avé”
