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Charles Bertier Paintings: The 4 Most Famous, Through a Gallery's Eye
Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 4 works by Charles Bertier in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Charles Bertier's most famous painting is Les Fréaux near La Grave (1894), whose original hangs in the Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble. Romanche Valley at Pied-du-Col (1894) and The Vénéon Valley in Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans (1894) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 4 works by Charles Bertier in our catalog, the gallery presents the 4 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
1860 – 1924, Grenoble
Most works: Musée de Grenoble
The gallery's top 10 Charles Bertier paintings
The museums that keep Charles Bertier's originals
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Charles Bertier | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Musée de Grenoble |
Grenoble | 4 | Les Fréaux near La Grave, Romanche Valley at Pied-du-Col, The Vénéon Valley in Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans |
Charles Bertier, the signature paintings of each year
17 years of Charles Bertier's art, 1894 to 1910: the gallery follows them year by year, through the most famous originals of each.
Works per year
Pick a year to see its originals.
Charles Bertier's paintings: the gallery answers
Which Charles Bertier painting is the most famous of all?Reveal the answer
Les Fréaux near La Grave (1894), Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble. Romanche Valley at Pied-du-Col (1894) and The Vénéon Valley in Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans (1894) come next.
How old was Charles Bertier on completing Les Fréaux near La Grave?Reveal the answer
34 years old: Les Fréaux near La Grave dates from 1894, and Charles Bertier was born in 1860.
How many works did Charles Bertier create?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 4 works by Charles Bertier, dated from 1894 to 1910.
Where do Charles Bertier's most famous originals hang?Reveal the answer
Mostly in Musée de Grenoble (Grenoble). The museum table above lists them all.
When did Charles Bertier create the most famous paintings?Reveal the answer
In 1894: 3 of the 4 works on this page were made then, Les Fréaux near La Grave among them.
Which are Charles Bertier's earliest and latest famous works?Reveal the answer
On this page, the earliest is Les Fréaux near La Grave (1894) and the latest Between Two Rains, Lac Robert. Chamrousse (1910).
Which Charles Bertier originals does the Musée de Grenoble hold?Reveal the answer
Les Fréaux near La Grave, Romanche Valley at Pied-du-Col and The Vénéon Valley in Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans: the Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble holds 4 of the works on this page.
Charles Bertier: the artist
The Son of Grenoble
Born in 1860 in the French city of Grenoble, Charles Alexandre Bertier was destined to follow a path shaped by both family tradition and a profound connection to the mountains. His family operated a glove making business, and for a time, he followed this practical route. He enrolled in a vocational school to master the family trade, learning the discipline of drawing alongside the craft of leather. However, the pull of the landscape proved stronger than the demands of commerce. After serving his military duty, where he first began to display his creative output, he sought formal training at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It was there that his talent for capturing the essence of the natural world began to take a definitive shape.
His early education was deeply influenced by his teacher, Laurent Guetal, who introduced him to the majesty of mountain scenery. This mentorship helped shape a style that would become central to the École Dauphinoise. Alongside contemporaries like Ernest Victor Hareux and Jean Achard, Bertier sought to translate the rugged, imposing presence of the Alps onto canvas. His work was not merely a recording of geography, but an attempt to capture the atmosphere of the high peaks and the valleys that lie beneath them.
A Life of Color and Fire
The career of Bertier was marked by both significant recognition and sudden, personal loss. He achieved considerable success within the French art establishment, earning thirty-one awards and becoming a member of the Société des Artistes Français. His reputation grew to the point that he was invited to provide decorations for Le Train Bleu, the celebrated restaurant near the Gare de Lyon in Paris. He even ventured briefly into portraiture, working for a benefactor in Russia who intended to place his works in the Hermitage.
His dedication to the mountains was a constant, even when faced with hardship. In 1913, a devastating fire destroyed his studio, consuming his paintings, drawings, and manuscripts. Rather than succumbing to this loss, he sought solace in the very landscapes he loved. He traveled through the French and Swiss Alps, including the heights of Mont Blanc, to find fresh inspiration and resume his exhibitions.
His artistic output included several notable depictions of the Alpine regions, such as:
- The Romanche Valley at Pied-du-Col
- The Vénéon Valley in Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans
- Les Fréaux near La Grave
- Between Two Rains, Lac Robert, Chamrousse
The Legacy of the Alpine Painter
Bertier was a man deeply embedded in the institutional life of French art. He was a founding member of the Société des Peintres de Montagne and frequently served as a judge on various art competition juries. His ability to render the specific light and texture of the mountains earned him a permanent place in the history of landscape painting. He remained in Grenoble, the city of his birth, until his death in 1924.