At the age of 14, René Marcil (1917-1993) was admitted to École des Beaux Arts. He studied for 2 years. At 17, he worked as a specialized engraver in advertising. René joined Morgan as an advertising illustrator. Later, he joined Eaton’s advertising department and became celebrated as an illustrative artist.
In 1941, Rene moved to New York City and worked as a fashion illustrator for Lord and Taylor on Fifth Avenue. Pure lines, elegance and exquisite style were René’s trademark as an illustrator. His fashion drawings appeared daily in The New York Times.
In the 1950’s, René moved to France and joined La Grande Chaumière (Paris), a studio shared by a group of Paris School artists. He lived a frugal life and concentrated on creating non-commercial works of art. He often used drawing as his medium of artistic expression and created many nude drawings during this period.
In the early eighties, a number of René’s artworks had been acquired by major collectors.