Pierre-Jean Chabert was born on August 1st, 1978, in Montélimar (Drôme). He is the eldest of three children (Antoine born in 1980, then Victoire in 1989). As Montélimar is, as everyone knows, the capital of nougat, Pierre-Jean couldn’t have landed in a more fitting family: he is the grandson of the famous nougat maker Chabert & Guillot. He remembers "the smell of honey and sugar, the constant dance of bees drawn by those Provençal aromas, playing with my brother in the factory on weekends, sneaking nougats from the big conveyor belts. The sight of those large copper vats mixing the nougat paste...".

But life isn't just about nougat. Around age 7 or 8, Pierre-Jean began clay modeling classes in an old farmhouse in the Drôme. In addition to his first tactile experiences with clay, he brought home to his parents a few ashtrays and glazed bowls—often in questionable taste.

His father, Pascal, is a jack-of-all-trades, always ready for the next adventure. After working as a sales rep in the family business, he moved the family to the Montpellier region, taking on various roles—from jewelry and ecology products to running a restaurant or managing a retirement home. He passed on to his son a sociable nature, humor, and a love of history.

His mother, Véronique (née Delabie), comes from an industrial background. Passionate about painting and watercolor, she also crafted architectural models for architects. "Like they used to do in those days," Pierre-Jean recalls, "with flocking, balsa wood cutouts, fake trees, sometimes even with built-in lighting. A magical and precise universe that must have influenced and nurtured me." When her second son was born, she turned to humanitarian work. Pierre-Jean would inherit her taste and talent for the arts.

Another milestone in the family story, which Pierre-Jean couldn’t have foreseen at the time: a 26-volume animal encyclopedia gifted by his paternal great-grandmother, Jeanne Bérenger.

Throughout his life, Pierre-Jean traveled extensively, leaving deep impressions on him. He discovered many European countries (Ireland, England, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands), and Egypt, where he confronted the monumental scale of sculpture. Then came Malta, Capri, Florence, Monastir... At 18, he left the family home to explore further: Australia, the United States, Mali, Senegal, Thailand, Vietnam. Later, Central African Republic in 2012 and South Africa in 2013 would profoundly shape his artistic vision as an animal sculptor.

Pierre-Jean has always loved tactile materials. At 12 or 13, he was crafting figures from wire, candles, soap, and other bits. But it was clay that brought him the deepest emotional satisfaction. He returned to it around age 15 or 16: "Back then, I was sculpting heads with glass marbles for eyes, lit from within." His interest in light also led him to create lamps using ostrich eggs. How fitting for a Leo—sun sign and rising sign—a fire sign through and through!

School wasn’t his passion. A mediocre student, he was only good at drawing, languages, and sports. In 9th grade, a perceptive career counselor, seeing his hands-on nature, suggested he become a mechanic. "He was—almost—right. I already liked tech, electronics, and tinkering."

Drawing became an obsession. High school gave him the perfect outlet: entire school desks covered in pencil sketches, especially during French and philosophy classes at Lycée Joffre. He also discovered magic and began performing at kids' birthday parties. His taste for showmanship was growing.

At 18, Pierre-Jean experienced a period of unease and began seeing a psychologist. At her request, he showed her his drawings, which turned out to be violent and bloody. "To me, they were normal. On the Rorschach inkblot test, I often saw chimeras and demons—it’s possible neither the psychologist nor my mother found that very reassuring!"

Pierre-Jean graduated from high school in 1998 and decided to pursue acting. Supported by his parents, he enrolled at the Cours Florent in Paris, then at FACT (Franco-American Cinema and Theatre), inspired by the Actors Studio method, and also attended classes at Les Ateliers de l’Ouest. His acting career included commercials (KitKat Chunky by Christian Merret-Palmair, Crédit Agricole by Xavier Giannoli, Kellogg’s by Érick Zonca, McDonald’s…), trailers, public awareness films (AIDS prevention by Christophe Honoré), video game voiceovers, theater roles, and many short films.

But he found it harder and harder to envision a stable acting career, weighed down by uncertainty and doubt. An old dream resurfaced: to become a sculptor. "Being able to present a finished, thought-out and completed work in a scenographic setting freed me from the fear that used to overwhelm me at castings, the uncertainty of a role, waiting for answers, the fear of aging and no longer being desirable. Unlike acting, sculpture is timeless and doesn’t age."

But drawing was serious business, so he decided to take classes at the Ateliers du Carrousel du Louvre.

The years 2002–2003 marked a turning point. He rediscovered modeling, returned to clay, and discovered the creative potential of polymer clays. He started sculpting all kinds of characters and entered the world of miniatures. His small apartment in Paris’ 17th district became a sculpting studio... figurines as a preview of an unknown future.

This personal, self-taught work continued evenings and weekends until 2010. Meanwhile, starting in 2006, Pierre-Jean found a job at a wealth management company—first as a driver, then as an admin manager. In his own words: "An experience that pulled me away from my artistic concerns but structured my creative craziness. That job gave me financial security, letting me go to castings and shoots until that desire to shine faded. It taught me, thanks to my boss’s support, what I needed to get started: mailings, client follow-up, business phrasing..." Acting and business—two essential skills, in hindsight.

Aware of the need to refine the modeling art he loved so much, Pierre-Jean began taking evening life drawing classes three hours per week at École Duperré (Paris). He made nudes, portraits, and his first animal pieces. His modeling teacher, Philippe Seené, played a crucial role in his path. A tough but passionate old-school mentor, "who didn’t sugarcoat things, but had a heart full of passion for modeling and teaching."

With Seené’s guidance, Pierre-Jean gained confidence, allowing himself to break free from traditional aesthetics and embrace "interrupted forms that the eye completes." Live models, profile work, low and high relief, full-round sculpture, portraits—all rigorous practices that gave him the feeling of living an exceptional experience in a tradition unchanged since the 17th or 18th century.

Results came quickly. In October 2010, Pierre-Jean left the world of finance to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a professional sculptor. He held his first solo exhibition in June 2011. His first bronze: a hippopotamus head emerging from water. A crystal-clear metaphor for an artist’s emergence.

More animals followed, including iconic pieces: Rhino, Orangutan leaning on his elbow, Gorilla Head, Lion Head, Gorilla on a fist, Rage to live…, and a few human figures sculpted in his 15m² studio in Saint-Ouen. Also in the mix: furniture sketches, costume jewelry designs for a Parisian designer, commissions from an interior decorator…2013 was the year he met his wife, Sarah Scouarnec, and her daughter Luna (born in 2004). Sarah was then a lighting designer in museography and, above all, a sculptor (working in clay and bronze). Today, she devotes herself entirely to her art, drawing inspiration for her “strange art” from mythology, surrealism, symbolism, and psychoanalysis. A return to roots: her own parents were professional ceramicists in Touraine. Together, Sarah and Pierre-Jean have two daughters: Capucine (born in 2016) and Zoé (2018). They moved from Paris to the Loire region—first to Véretz, then Amboise.

In 2015, they settled into the Ateliers de La Morinerie. This 140m² space allowed Pierre-Jean to expand his creativity and create larger-scale works. He trained in molding and welding and acquired the necessary tools.

A beautiful career followed—personal creations, numerous exhibitions, and growing success. He specialized in animal art. His sculptures are crafted in clay, then molded and cast in renowned French art foundries like Rosini and BBC/Gaillard. Today, his works are exhibited across Europe and internationally (USA, Switzerland, England, Australia, China…).

But beyond the exhibitions, it’s the story of encounters that shaped him: "childhood friends who lent me a studio in La Chapelle, then rented me one in Saint-Ouen, friends of friends, parents, first collectors, supporters and patrons, those who pull you out of trouble by buying one or more pieces when your cash flow is drained by bronze casting and Parisian life..."

Buoyed by this success and the trust shown to him, Pierre-Jean has reduced the number of exhibitions each year and now collaborates with several art galleries to focus on what matters most: his creation.

Stéphane GENDRON, author, sculptor, and musician