Marie Détrée was born in Saint-Malo into a family of sailors.

After graduating from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, she was appointed official Painter of the Navy (POM) in 2010: only seven women hold this prestigious title, a true French cultural exception, which has officially existed since 1830.

The title of Painter of the Navy is granted by the Minister of Defense, on the recommendation of the jury of the biennial Salon de la Marine, held at the Musée de la Marine in Paris.

The title does not entitle the holder to any remuneration, but it does provide facilities for carrying out assignments in ports and on ships. The naval anchor follows the signature of the Navy's official painters, by tradition as much as by privilege.

Thanks to her appointment as official painter of the French Navy, which gave her an equivalent rank and military status, she was authorized to discover all the French Navy's ships, which would take her to all the seas of the globe in just a few years of navigation.

China Sea, Red Sea, Coral Sea, North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Sargasso Sea, Caribbean Sea, Bay of Biscay, Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal, Corinth Canal, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean: one embarkation followed another, always a source of inspiration for her maritime culture and artistic passion.

Among the most famous ships are the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the BPCs Mistral and Dixmude, the frigates Forbin, Aquitaine, La Fayette, Jean Bart and Vendémiaire, not forgetting the Dupleix and Latouche Tréville.

Marie Détrée's odyssey continued aboard the BATRAL La Grandière, the southern patrol vessel Albatros, the supply tanker Meuse and the command and supply vessel Marne. Her discovery of the oceans continues below the surface, aboard the submarines Le Triomphant, Le Terrible and La Perle. In 2022, she discovered the Antarctic continent and Terre Adélie aboard the polar patrol vessel l'Astrolabe. In 2023, she crossed the Arctic Circle, earning her the title of "Dignitary of the Circles"!

Marie Détrée masters oil painting, but gouache remains her preferred technique for works done on location: the beautiful mattness of the colors, the speed of drying and the lightness of the paper support make this technique an indispensable travel companion. Other marine painters before her had exploited its fine qualities, including Marin Marie and Albert Brenet.

Following these voyages, and drawing on her experience, Marie began writing a book in 2010, published by Chasse-Marée / Glénat, "La grande ménagerie du bord", lavishly illustrated with her gouaches. Her book "Bateaux en bouteille" (May 2015), published by Tutti-Frutti, is a book of boats to cut out, a nod to her many peregrinations. In 2018, she created a coloring book for the Musée Maritime de Tatihou, echoing the museum's collections. In 2022, Marie began creating children's books: L'invention des dimanches (Rouergue-Actes Sud), Avec mon bâton (Un dimanche après-midi) and Très chers fantômes (Éditions Tiret du 6).

In 2023, she will illustrate three books with a maritime theme: La légende du Hollandais Volant (Cyril Hofstein/Flammarion jeunesse), A la poursuite de Djibouti (Elytis) and La Montagne de Glace (Un dimanche après-midi).

The Post Office has also commissioned several stamps from him, with subjects ranging from landscapes of the Kerguelen Islands to the missile cruiser "Colbert" and a patrol boat from St-Pierre & Miquelon. In 2022, the "Astrolabe" and "Aurora Australis" blocks were released, in 2023 a landscape block depicting Terre Adélie, and in 2024 she was selected to design the block for the Fête du timbre.

Marie Détrée is a chevalier du Mérite maritime, and has been awarded the "Défense nationale" medal and the "Atalanta" (anti-piracy) medal, the hallmarks of her commitment to the Navy.

Her work has been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including several at the Musée de la Marine in Paris, Rouen, Douarnenez, the Musée Maritime de Tatihou, the Taylor Foundation, the town of Saint-Malo, the Musée de la Marine in Brest, the Yacht Club de France and the Assemblée Nationale.

Marie Détrée is a member of the Yacht Club de France, ACORAM (Association des Officiers de Réserve), ATG (Art du Timbre Gravé) and the select club of Pâté Hénaff lovers.

Marie Détrée's original illustrations are on permanent display at the Galerie Le Réservoir in Sète, at the Galerie O'Large and at the Galerie Robillard in Paris.

Her prints are on sale at the DPJ art gallery in Sète.

Limited editions are also available from the publisher Courts Tirages in Angoulême.

On Wikipedia: Marie Détrée