Tal-Coat's birth name was Pierre Louis Jacob. He was born in Finistére, near Quimper in Brittany, the son of a fisherman and came to Paris in 1924. He assumed the surname Tal-Coat (Breton for "Wood Face") to avoid being confused with the Quimper artist, and poet Max Jacob. Both artists were in the circle of friends and admirers of Picasso. He first painted in a realist style and his portrait of Gertrude Stein (1935) won him the Prix Paul Guillaume. He later adopted a colourful abstract style and during his long career he became one of the foremost abstract artists in France. His paintings were universally acclaimed and admired by fellow artists such as André Masson. He also wrote on painting. His etchings and lithographs encapsulate the essence of his minimalist paintings.