At the age of 20, he discovered the work of Nicolas de Stael and started practicing painting, encouraged by his friends who saw his work and motivated him to exhibit it. Thanks to Hélèna Cingria, he met Lucile Manguin, who had just opened a gallery in Paris and they signed a contract in 1964. In 1968, during a trip to the United States, he had an artistic click and became passionate about the topics of speed and movement. Two main subjects are addressed in his work: mobility and fixity. At the beginning of his work, Pierre Doutreleau painted mainly motionless surfaces. He then developed an interest for cinema and television, and then for sport and athletes. His ambition is to paint movement to translate life. He wants his work to be a call to travel, a discovery of the world and love. In order to do that he combines two ingredients: drama and pleasure, in a quest for beauty, joy and pain.