Pierre de Belay was born in Quimperle, France, December 11, 1890 and died in Paris in 1947. In 1919, upon his demobilization, Pierre de Belay took up residence in Paris, and stayed there for the rest of his life. His quarter was Montparnasse. In 1925, he found a studio on rue de L'Armorique. Then in 1937, he moved to rue Proidevaux where his studio overlooked Montparnasse.

Painters and writers had left Montmartre several years before for Montparnasse. The life of "Montparnassians" during this "wild age" has often been recounted through the destinies of Chagal, Soutine, Modigliani, Pasein or Kisling, and through life in numerous studios of the 14th district, particularly at the Ruche, nightclubs like Bal Ne...