Art Brokerage: Pierre Latour was born May 16, 1935 in Paris to a Belgium mother and French father. Latour Sr., also an artist, taught young Pierre how to paint in the traditional academic style. Latour's training as a child by his father, however fundamental, was secondary to the influence of his Belgian maternal grandfather. In Latour's own words, "The greatest influences of my life and for my art were shared in Bruges with my grandfather." Pierre Latour had achieved a reasonable amount of fame in Europe when he discovered that he could best interpret Belgium with a palette knife. This was the beginning of his fame in America, as this became his trademark style. Although Latour now resides in the United States, he is best known for the beautiful colors of the palette depicting the city of Bruges, the flower markets, and the picnic scenes reminiscent of summers spent with his grandfather. Pierre Latour's self imposed rule of "never being seen except through my art," has brought his works, but not his face, to museums as well as some of the most noteworthy American collections. So, Pierre Latour is the nom de plume of this noted artist. Whether it be a flower market, a city scene, or a barge on the river, all of his paintings are based on the same location - from his imagination. He had the ability to bring serenity to the viewer by means of the color combinations used in his paintings, which are quickly rising in the world of very talented artists, and are in demand across the United States. Pierre Latour died on February 2, 2006 from complications resulting from hip replacement surgery.