Marie Détrée, Artist in Residence at the Lycée

Welcoming an Official Painter of the French Navy

Next week, the Lycée will welcome Marie DÉTRÉE as our Artist in Residence for the month of March. An Official Painter of the French Navy and a distinguished contemporary artist, she will be in residence on campus throughout the month, working primarily with Middle and High School students while also visiting our primary campuses to share her artistic world with younger learners.

Born in Saint-Malo into a family of sailors and trained at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, Marie was appointed Official Painter of the French Navy in 2010 — a rare and prestigious distinction granted to a small number of artists whose work engages with the maritime world. This unique title has allowed her to embark on numerous voyages aboard naval ships and travel across seas and oceans around the globe, experiences that deeply inform her artistic practice.

An Artistic Journey Shaped by the Sea

At the heart of Marie DÉTRÉE’s work lies a lifelong connection to both art and the maritime world. As she shared in an interview: “ I have always wanted to paint, and I have always felt a deep attraction to ships,” says Marie. “My father and my grandfather were merchant sailors.”

This dual passion — for painting and for the sea — has guided her artistic journey for decades. Through her travels aboard vessels such as the Charles de Gaulle and the Astrolabe, and across regions ranging from the Mediterranean to the polar seas, she has developed a body of work rooted in observation, movement, and lived experience. For Marie, the sea is not simply a subject to depict, but a space of immersion, light, and atmosphere that continually renews artistic inspiration.

Working primarily in gouache when painting on location, she captures fleeting impressions with immediacy and subtlety, a technique long favored by marine painters for its matte depth and portability during travel. Alongside her paintings, she is also an accomplished author and illustrator, with publications spanning maritime art books and children’s literature.

The Artist in Residence Program at the Lycée

Marie’s residency is part of the Lycée’s Artist in Residence program, which invites accomplished artists to engage directly with students through workshops, conversations, and creative projects embedded in the school experience. The program is designed to bring students into meaningful contact with living artistic practice, encouraging curiosity, cultural openness, and creative expression across all grade levels. To support this program, the Lycée was awarded a grant  from the Edward E. Ford Foundation that was generously matched by our school community.

By working closely with students — particularly in Middle and High School — and visiting the primary campuses, Marie will offer a rare opportunity for learners to observe an artist’s process, ask questions, and experience art as a living, evolving practice rather than a distant discipline.

A Month of Creative Encounters

Throughout March, Marie DÉTRÉE will lead workshops, artistic exchanges, and moments of creative dialogue across campuses. Her presence will also enrich the Lycée’s cultural programming, including special artistic moments connected to French American Cultural Days.

By welcoming Marie as Artist in Residence, the Lycée continues to nurture an internationally minded education where encounters with artists, thinkers, and creators are an integral part of student growth — fostering imagination, perspective, and a lasting connection to the arts within a vibrant, bilingual school community.