Pébéo and the colours

■ Diving into the era of ready-to-use colour

The colours were tested by painting onto metal plates which were then partially masked and
exposed to sunlight to judge their ability to withstand sunlight, the winning formulas were
selected and Pebeo launched its' first range of oil colour in tubes for painting advertisements on walls.
From this very practical use the paints soon came to the attention of artists and so they became part of
the world of art. Without knowing it Pebeo gradually began to change.

■ Ready to use colours come to life at last

Instructions: Mix the colours in a metal bucket, allow to infuse (which disperses the pigment through
the binder), then once diluted, strain the colours.
Despite all the care in the process the result could not be guaranteed, mainly due to the variation in the
amount of binder and drying agent. To start with Pebeo launched 15 ready to use colours.

■ Tubes were also important

With no means of preservation, the artists mixed their pigments, and then reduce them to powder with the
binder just before use. In the nineteenth century, they used pig bladders to contain the colour. The tin tubes
were invented around 1840. These new containers kept the colours intact longer. Through them, the
Impressionist painters were able to move out of their workshop and go to paint landscapes outdoors - that is
to say, in nature.

■ Production of colour

Amidst the clatter of belts the crusher reduced the blocks to the size of hazelnuts, a water wheel bucket
then pushed the material towards the hopper wheels which then further reduced the material to a fine
powder which is the basis of colour. The best results are obtained using large, heavy grindstones which
turn slowly, mixing and crushing the pigment tranforming it little by little into homogenous and radiant colour.

■ The flexographic inks

In the 1930s' flexographic inks were used for printing coffee packaging, but they were not destined to have a long career, Pebeo stopped making these products as well as mastic at the begining of the war as the raw materials were no longer available. This process has recently seen a revival in the market for labels and packaging and in the market for grocery packaging.
Similar to the process of inking, but in colour, flexographic printing competes with offset on a number of surfaces.

■ The sealant and colour powder

The druggists, who were the glazers and painters of that time, proposed sealant with colour powder
consisting mainly of marl and linseed oil. This was a way to provide additional business.

■ School of paint cakes!

Despite its expertise in the chemistry of pigments,
there was still more to learn! Formulations,
manufacturing ... must also attract the interest of the
distribution channels. The cakes were then left for a
moist colour paste, rich in resin and pigments,
poured into a plastic cup and then dried in an oven.
Far from being the most economical, the process is
one that offered the most pleasure to use and a
remarkable consistency of colour.

■ The poster paint tube was a hit!

The gouaches were distinguished from similar
products produced at such a level of quality that art
teachers were the first to recommend it. The retail
sector began to pose a number of questions about
this Marseille Company that came from nowhere!
Will they sometime become a full fledged contender
in the marketplace? Far from, all the same, 'the
aristocracy of fine colour'.

■ Watercolour, first contacts, first passion

The watercolourist wasn't looking for colours but for studio space, claudius Chaveau found him some space and in return received artistic and technical
advice for the development of a range of quality watercolours, but the brand was not well known enough. Despite this experience it was a decisive
moment for Claudius, a passion had been awakened!

■ A miracle solution, colour blocks!

The industrial climate at the begining of the war was one of poor products and raw materials and this
presented an opportunity, Mario de Andreiss' idea quickly materialised, the first box of colour cakes was born. It was likely to bring the company additional business at a time when it was affected by the war.
The development of small blocks stamped with a dragon in relief gave trouble: hair brushes could not resist them!
But the product became more efficient! This was the beginning of a long story ...

■ Pébéo took control: with the cardboard palettes ...

The first colour cakes were presented in the form of miniature card palettes like those used by traditional
painters and also in small metal boxes. The first procedure used since the 1940s' was a dry process, it
consisted of agglomerating a semolina type product under pressure with glue added to turn it into blocks.
But the packaging of the time limited the company to small scale distrubution and excluded them from the
traditional stationery distribution.

■ The world of colour, stronger than the crisis!

Claudius Chaveau's relationships with his staff and
associates were based on a profound respect. Harmony
reigned in the family business. This was a working
community, and the company decided to ensure the care
of its employees in the best conditions possible, until their
disappearance. By 1938, all staff members received a
supplementary pension insurance provided by the
company.

■ Robert Chaveau 'marries' colour

Robert Chaveau made choices: he changes his painter’s coat for a chemist’s coat. His first challenge
is to develop the manufacture of 'organic' pigments that began a few years ago. Four pigments are
developed with their industrial production. The most beautiful moment for him is: 'when the filtered
solutions and casts gather in a loving embrace and melt into each other to become pigment.'

■ The Birth of Fragonard

On the tube, the logo Drouant fades gradually to give way to that of Pébéo, but Armand Drouant remains
close to the manufacturer for a long time. Involved in the jury of numerous awards such as the 'Young
Painters' created in 1954, he was one of the best ambassadors of the brand with recognized artists ...
One day, a publicist says to the manufacturer: "I went to Picasso’s villa 'La Californie' to take photographs;
I saw plenty of Pébéo paints in his studio. 'Did you know? '

■ The Fine Arts varnish range

The paintings done with oil colors are varnished.
Over the centuries, this process is performed, on site, during scheduled events before the visitors arrive at
exhibitions. The ceremony to inaugurate the opening of an art exhibition is always called a private view,
which is a legacy of that past practice. The varnish is heavily loaded with resin, it is very solid, and can be
thinned, preferably with essential oil of petroleum which evaporates completely.

■ Immersion in the world of fine color

Drouant has some recognition by collectors in the art world and the greatest artists succeed in his Paris
gallery, including: Braque, Gromaire, Soutine, Van Dongen, Othon Friez, Buffet ... This talented negotiator has a keen business sense. The sale of his factory is formalized in 1952. A beautiful image in the world of art that allows Pébéo to finally take its first steps in the aristocratic world of fine colour.

■ What secrets are hidden behind the colour?

At the conclusion, Drouant reveals the secrets of making fine colour to Pébéo. 'After being slurred by the mixer arm, the colour is refined by a three-cylinder grinder: fineness is proportional to the pressure on the cylinders and the number of times it turns. It then undergoes intense quality control during its manufacture and before conditioning ...'

■ The key to fine colour

The company believes, that with this acquisition, comes access to the highest level: of fine colours.
But it must tread a long time before leaving the second division, the divison of 'proletarian colours'.
However, the relationship between the Chaveau and Drouant families and jury members of numerous prizes, gradually contributes to the brand recognition.

■ A new adventure into graphics

Chaveau goes to Lyon to meet a changing profession, which replaces gouache with contemporary materials. Pébéo is always available
for testing new colours and working with designers, this allows them to develop the drawing ink, the ink and a new drawing gum ...

■ The drawing gum? A gum that draws ...

Initiated during a meeting with school teachers to carry out work in the reserve, the drawing gum is being developed in collaboration with the graphic design studios ... This gum peels off, it is applied by brush or pen on the surface to mask works in ink, watercolour or
gouache! A flagship product that is needed without 'reservation'!

■ The graphic arts department

The meeting with Claude Merle, printer, photoengraver and creative talent is crucial to the development of this area. It begins timidly, the graphic arts department begins with some basic products, to learn from the more technical products that will be needed in the workshops of photoengravers. The department reached its peak in the 80’s, then the slowdown arrived, as the electronics and technology soon took over.

■ Primary colours in school

The trichromatic system can be traced back to Isaac Newton, it became a new filed to explore for Pebeo and develop new products for educational success.
Based on the principle of primary colours, inks and gouaches were soon available and extended to all ranges, both leisure and fine art. Pebeo continued its' apprenticeship in the world of colour.

■ Vitrail colours, absolutely divine!

Glass designs need to be plotted once traced and coloured, his budget did not allow him to get the task completed by a stained glass artisan.
Claudius Chaveau came up with a type of mastic which could replace the leading, it was called cerne a cloisonner. It was an immediate success, it was soon followed by glass varnish.

■ Markers for children ... and artists!

The artist in Robert Chaveau was happy to bet on the quality of the markers and inks, in fact they were particularly good in terms of their resistance to light, but Robert Chaveau didn't consider for a minute that this little marker would please all artists.

■ Pebeo takes on the world in 1981

The seasonal orders are carried out on small series.
The company, to progress, must have access to
importers and distribution channels. Internally too,
must change its structure. Once the initial contacts
are made abroad, new orders are coming ...
Among them, one of the most surprising came
straight from Iraq: 100,000 - 150 ml tubes of oil
colors!

■ Focus on export!

After studying chemical engineering, with a diploma
from the IAE of Aix-en-Provence, Eric Chaveau, is
attracted by the potentials from abroad, he wants to
develop the export culture of the company.
The task is heavy: he must build a network, build
relationships of mutual trust and adjust supply by
country. He manages to create the trigger in his
troops! Growing export acquired. Result: the export
business is growing much more than France.
A new impetus is born!

■ The strategic choice for Pebeo

The company has never had a strong industrial culture
but in the 80's there were numerous temptations to
turn to the big distribution channels to grow big, but
the Pebeo culture and genetic code persisted, there
would be no sacrifice of the product offer at the alter
of volume, Pebeo chose to continue to work of the
quality of the product offer, the market position and
the added value of its' ranges.

■ First French acrylic!

New material from USA, the acrylic frees the artist
from any constraint and gives free rein to their
creative spirit. It is diluted with water and dries very
quickly, allowing more layers to work quickly.
The qualities of the new product launched by Pébéo
are quickly recognized. Moreover, it reflects perfectly
the mood of the company, sleek, modern and
dynamic.

■ Acrylic, where does it come from?

Soft, non-yellowing, UV resistant, acrylic paint is
made from acrylic polymer and aqueous pigment
identical to those used in oils. Its manufacturing
process is also nearby.

■ A painting prize dedicated to acrylic!

A competition open to all students from 18 to 35 years
old using acrylics, an original way for Pebeo to state its'
aims as a Fine Art manufacturer and to promote the
brand. The painting contest ran for three years and
revealed artists like Gerard Laine, Jean Gasnault, Nicole
Bottet and Jean-Jaques Surian.

■ 1st Transparent plastic tube in the USA

Pébéo launches new packaging for acrylics. It is a
major innovation ... The company is recognized for its
packaging and its booth, considered the most beautiful
at this annual U.S. trade show, an established reference
for the world of creative hobbies.

■ The end of the graphic adventure

The graphics department is idle. The development of
computer technology has resulted in the
disappearance of products previously used in the
graphic market. Small products distributed by the
brand will no longer follow. Pébéo must act quickly.
The decision to close the department is taken.
Pébéo uses this episode as an enrichment, based on
meetings with artists of a new genre in constant
evolution, and fans of graphic technique.

■ Pébéo works for the conservation of art!

With a specialized laboratory, Pébéo develops a
research team within the company that is being
chosen to participate in Crisatel, research program of
the European Commission. The objective of the work
is carried out in conjunction with the laboratories of
the Louvre and the National Gallery in London to
develop a system for storing and managing high-
definition images and to obtain a nondestructive way
to decifer the layers of ancient pictorial on a work of
art.

■ 'Marseilles loses its colour!'

Designed by architect Maurice Sauzet, deeply
marked by Japan's traditional architecture, the
building reflects the basis of his research from several
years in Japan. Hence his deep and wide openings,
calculated powerful landscapes, express this
relationship between inside and outside ... The new
company headquarters becomes an ideal showcase
for Pébéo ... it helps to reveal the image of modernity
and manufacturing innovation at the same time as it
reveals its attachment to things of art! The building
structure offers visitors a permanent exhibition of
contemporary art works that unfold in the garden ...
and the resplendent plants that require a very large
white steel vessel.

■ Why the move to Gemenos?

The layout of the old plant is no longer appropriate to
work in good conditions. The buildings are no longer
suitable. One has to face the facts that it cannot meet
the demands from important markets. Once the move
is complete, the improvement is very clear: a
productivity gain of 15-20% ... and the positive result
of the internal pride of the entire staff.

■ Export: products made of gold!

The laboratory was enlarged and new teams added,
the export department was created to serve the diverse
needs of all these markets, for example Setacolour is
used in African schools to teach girls how to make their
trousseau, in Egypt Pebeo Superfine Gouache is used to
decorate papyrus, a new gold was devloped for just
this purpose, Pebeo recreated the gold of the pyramids!

■ Pebeo launches new ranges

With the release of the new Dyna-based pigmentsthat reflect the colour depending on the angle of the
reflection of the light, these colours add sparkle dynamism and modernity to artistic creations.
Qualities that are enthusiastically recognized byleading artists such as Robert Combas (see his testimony in 'The interviews with artists').

■ Colour faces the global crisis

The manufacturer must remain present in the market and anticipate the growth of the future. Pébéo enters its 102nd country ... Three countries are adding the designer colours in 2009: Kosovo, Kazakhstan and Lithuania ... While, in China, it is not less than 3000 products that are now manufactured in the same
factory, mainly entry level ranges. In China as elsewhere, Pébéo continues to be what it has always been: a modern brand, which thrives on innovative, aesthetics and can adapt to the cultures and their most diverse environments.

■ A Pébéo bus in Madrid

Throughout its history, the manufacturer has been open to artists and teachers. Many products have been born of these relationships. In order not to violate this rule, the brand decided to go, once again, to reach out to them, on a Pébéo bus of colours: it provides them with products, as well as precise and accurate information on techniques to use.The colours continue their journey!

■ P.BO Deco colours burst onto the scene

Beyond creative leisure, creative décor is in the air.
Pébéo sees this as a way to uniquely position itself while
continuing to offer new ideas! Pébéo rushes into the
trend and launches a new brand: P.BO Deco.
This encounter, leads to a collection of ultra
contemporary, innovative and accessible colours, as well
as creative kits (wall stencils) to customize the entire
house. Finally, Pébéo products blend perfectly with
television programs and TV channels. In addition,
collaborations with personalities see the day.

■ Pébéo guides the 'Mécènes du Sud'

In Marseille, it is through the workshops of the
Mediterranean Euro, that the 'Mécènes du Sud' will
transform 'the business' while generating a capital
seed to share with artists to make great creations!
In the continuing activities of the association, Pébéo
supports cultural mediation introduced by Ansem
Kieffer Monumenta 2007 and 2008 Richard Serra
and extends its basic roots. Pébéo’s expertise is
providing the know-how and quality of its products
to educational workshops, created specifically for
school and young audiences.

■ Art becomes more Democratic with the Affordable Art Fair (China)

A Beijing, l’AAF est un événement et une opportunité unique de se procurer des œuvres contemporaines (peintures, photographies, bandes dessinées et sculptures) à prix raisonnables : les quelque 600 œuvres seront vendues à moins de 8,000 RMB ($ 1 000 USD).
Pébéo, convaincu que l’art est au service des gens, œuvre à cette cause en organisant des prix qui ont plusieurs effets : la promotion de l’art et de son message, le soutien aux artistes avec des dotations en produits et matériels de la marque et l’occasion pour le grand public de devenir collectionneur.

■ A momentous year.

Pébéo, a living heritage company (EPV), is awarded once again by Namta (Minneapolis - USA) who judges its new patented products, including Fantasy, the most innovative. The MOIT day concept, the meeting between MIXED MEDIA ® and Pébéo, took place in Canada

■ The MIXED MEDIA ® concept: a movement that originates from all sides

The MIXED MEDIA® concept responds to a new trend which results in an offer where previously unconnected products interact.
Manufactured from the hands of masters who dare to break the rules and mix all the mediums to perfection. MIXED MEDIA® revolutionises this concept by offering the artist, professional or amateur, a variety of techniques that can be used. With its crystal resins, Vitrail painting, effect colours, golden leaves, the pictorial and sculptural journey defy confrontations ever seen: opalescent, transparent, glossy colours like glass, colour overlays, relief, collages, crimped sealed ... The finishes are perfect and the results very often surprising. The technique is easy and is at the service of the artist's imagination.
Thus, a new medium has been created: "Inspiration MIXED MEDIA®" - an interactive magazine in several languages with a Product catalogue from the entire MIXED MEDIA® range. This E-mag makes it possible to find a huge amount of multimedia information on the same document and provides the reader with all accessible and permanent resources. The publications also become information mediums, practical guides and resource centres.

■ Passion for Art Marseille European Capital of Culture, Pebeo supports a project

Created by the European Union in 1985, the title of the European Capital of Culture is a unique label.
As part of the Workshops of the Euro-Mediterranean Marseille Provence 2013, Pébéo welcomes an artist in residence: The workshop of Marie Angeletti.
Between the artist Marie Angeletti and Pébéo. the human relationship is what governed the art project. The artist offered employees a collaboration, during their working hours, which integrated full-fledged participation in the creative process and in the exhibition within the Gémenos plant. The teams of Gémenos Pébéo and its Chinese twin welcomed Marie Angeletti for several weeks at their workplaces. An overlap between her work and what each wanted to offer her. The final work, the result of this close artistic complicity, was exhibited at the heart of the two plants in operation, becoming a decorative element in the universe of the employees, but it is also a questioning of the condition and the possibility of an autonomous work of art.
Copyright photo: Grà © goire

■ The Setacolor range expands.

When the greatest fashion designers get hold of Setacolor colours, the result is staggering.
Ranging from Setacolor Opaque colours to Setacolour Opaque Moiré and Pearl colours for a glistening effect! For light fabrics, choose the Setacolor Fluorescent and Glitter colours! To create your "High Colour" collection, mix the colours and the effects! To give special effects: Setacolor Auxiliaries and Setacolor 3D. And to ennoble the fabrics, it often just needs a littlle Setaskrib+ market to give a touch of sparkle. The Setacolor range was enriched and worked in close collaboration with the great names of fashion.

■ Tomosuke artist exhibition at Pébéo n Gémenos

A good meeting and a link between Pébéo and the Japanese artistic community. Between Japanese tradition and modernity, the artist has given his work a certain sensitivity.

■ Pébéo in Great Britain.

After Southampton, Pébéo moved to London and opened an Espace Pébéo by offering animated painting workshops by artists discovering the products of "MIXED MEDIA ®" art