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The 3 Most Famous Pierre Roy Paintings, Each One of a Kind
Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 3 works by Pierre Roy in our catalogue
In short
Composition with Weights and Measures (1932) is the Pierre Roy painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. After it, the eye goes to Still Life (1938) and Invitation to the Voyage (Invitation au voyage) (1929). Among the 3 works of Pierre Roy in our catalog, these 3 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
1880 – 1950, Nantes
Surrealism
Most works: Israel Museum
Top 10 paintings by Pierre Roy, through the gallery's eye
The museums that keep Pierre Roy's originals
The 2 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Pierre Roy | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Israel Museum |
Jerusalem | 2 | Composition with Weights and Measures, Invitation to the Voyage (Invitation au voyage) |
 Art Institute of Chicago |
Chicago | 1 | Still Life |
Pierre Roy across the years: the unique originals of each
Pierre Roy's dated originals shown here fit into about ten years, 1929 to 1938: the eye follows them year by year.
Works per year
Pick a year to see its originals.
Pierre Roy's paintings: questions for the gallery
What is the single most famous work of Pierre Roy?Reveal the answer
Composition with Weights and Measures (1932), Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Still Life (1938) and Invitation to the Voyage (Invitation au voyage) (1929) come next.
At what age did Pierre Roy create Composition with Weights and Measures?Reveal the answer
52 years old: Composition with Weights and Measures dates from 1932, and Pierre Roy was born in 1880.
How many works by Pierre Roy are known?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 3 works by Pierre Roy, dated from 1929 to 1938.
Where can the most famous Pierre Roy originals be seen?Reveal the answer
Mostly in Israel Museum (Jerusalem) and Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago). The museum table above lists them all.
Which famous Pierre Roy painting is the earliest, and which the latest?Reveal the answer
On this page, the earliest is Invitation to the Voyage (Invitation au voyage) (1929) and the latest Still Life (1938).
Which movement does the work of Pierre Roy belong to?Reveal the answer
Surrealism, judging by the originals on this page.
What Pierre Roy originals can I see at the Israel Museum?Reveal the answer
Composition with Weights and Measures and Invitation to the Voyage (Invitation au voyage): the Israel Museum, Jerusalem holds 2 of the works on this page.
Where can I order a hand-painted Pierre Roy reproduction?Reveal the answer
Yes, as a reproduction: the original stays in its museum, but any painting on this page can be painted by hand for you, made to order one at a time, from the painting's own page.
Pierre Roy: a portrait of the artist
The Life and Artistic Journey of Pierre Roy
Born in 1880, Pierre Roy was a French surrealist painter. He was the eldest of four children, born to the secretary of the management board of the Musée d'Arts de Nantes, and his siblings were all amateur painters. After obtaining his baccalauréat at a local school, he worked for a firm of architects before enrolling at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Following a period of disappointment with his studies, he left to work on designs for the 1900 Paris Exposition. In 1905, he committed himself to painting, beginning his exhibition history in 1906 at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (SNBA).
Roy's career saw him exhibiting with the Société des Artistes Indépendants in 1907, 1908, 1913, and 1914. A significant moment in his career occurred in 1925 when he participated in the first exhibition of surrealist painters alongside figures such as Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst, and Pablo Picasso. He held his first solo exhibition in 1926 and was appointed as a naval artist for a five-year term in 1933. Beyond his canvas work, he created stage sets, advertising posters, and several covers for Vogue magazine.
Artistic Style and Notable Works
Roy is recognized for his surrealist compositions, characterized by the realistic painting of ordinary objects. His works often feature items such as:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Woolen reels
- Ears and seeds
- Eggs and ribbons
These objects are arranged in unexpected ways within his compositions. His work has been displayed in various international locations, including New York, London, and Hawaii. Notable pieces held in public collections include Danger dans l'escalier (Danger on the stairs) and L'Heure d'été (Daylight Saving Time) at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and A Naturalist's Study at the Tate Modern in London. Other works reside in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Musée des Beaux-arts in Nantes.