Antoine Serra (1908-1995) Olive Trees In The Alpilles

A broad, modern touch and the beautiful warm colors of a late summer afternoon in the Alpilles.
The pink earth in the foreground, transformed into violet by the shade of the olive trees, lends this beautiful oil on canvas by the painter Antoine Serra warmth, movement, and fluidity.
In the distance, the Provençal Alpilles, so dear to the artist, served as a significant source of inspiration for many years.
The work is presented in an elegant, modern olive green and gold frame measuring 70 cm by 85 cm, while the canvas itself measures 46 cm by 61 cm.
In good condition, the work is signed and dated (19)52 in the lower right corner.

Arriving in Marseille in 1914, he entered the School of Fine Arts in 1921.
In 1928, he participated in his first exhibition with a group of painters, including Simon Auguste and Louis Toncini. A committed artist, he founded the "Proletarian Painters" group in 1933, which later became the "People's Painters" group, along with other politically engaged artists such as François Diana, Louis Toncini, and Louis Roc. The canvases created during this period depict factories and portraits of workers, all reflecting a profound sadness, a sense of pain and misery.

In 1936, again with his group of fellow painters, Louis Toncini, François Diana, and Léon Cadenel, he led the first provincial House of Culture in Marseille (of which he was a founding member), inaugurated by Aragon and Malraux.

After the war, he was suddenly and irrevocably drawn to the Alpilles mountains, which he discovered by chance during a visit, captivated by "landscapes bathed in a light that magnifies their forms." He decided to settle in the region, which he did in 1946, buying an old farmhouse, renovated over the years, called "Mas du Diable," located at the foot of Les Baux-de-Provence.

It was in the heart of this adopted Provence that he could give free rein to his art, far from the hustle and bustle of Marseille and his previously daily commitments. However, he still had another wish to fulfill: to reconnect with his native land, Sardinia, which he had left as a young man. He made several trips there, returning from which he was dazzled. This return to his roots, to this land he was discovering, ignited a frenzy of creation within him. He settled in Olbia, welcomed by close cousins ​​who offered him hospitality, and then spent several months in the mountainous region, in the heart of the villages of Oliena and Orgosolo. There he painted scenes of everyday life, interior scenes: women baking bread or knitting, family scenes by the fireplace, all rendered with striking realism.

Main Exhibitions
• 1945: Exhibition with Ambrogiani and Ferrari at the Galerie Jean-Marc Vidal in Paris.

• 1949: Exhibition at the Salon d’Automne in Paris.

• 1960: Exhibition of Sardinian paintings in Cagliari (Sardinia) and Paris, Galerie Weill.

• 1963: Exhibition at the Palais des Arts in Marseille.
• 1966: Exhibition at the Galerie Chabaud in Paris.

• 1967: Exhibition at the Château de la Jansonne in Arles. • 1968: Guest of honor at the Montélimar Art Fair
• 1970:
• Exhibition at the Galerie Saint Georges in Marseille,
• Purchase of a painting by the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris.
• Retrospective at the Château de Tallard.
• 1971: Exhibition at the Musée Cantini in Marseille; purchase of a painting by the Musée Longchamp.
• 1972: Exhibition at the Galerie “Salle Basse” in Martigues.

• 1974: Participation in the International Biennial, Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence.

• 1975: Exhibition in Paris, Galerie “Tamenaga”
• 1976: Exhibition in Tokyo.

• 1977: Exhibition at the Musée Départemental de Gap
• 1982: Exhibition of paintings from the United States in Martigues, Villa Kariessa. • 1984: Retrospective at the Musée de la Vieille Charité in Marseille
• 1985: Retrospective at the Musée Paul Valéry in Sète
• 1987: Retrospective at the Abbaye de l’Epau in Le Mans
• 1988: Invited for an exhibition by the Departmental Office of Culture, Aix-en-Provence Festival
• 1992: Exhibition in Mouriès
• 1993: Exhibition at the Théâtre Comédia in Aubagne • 1995: Last exhibition during his lifetime, at Mas des Arnaud, in Saint-Martin de Crau. Illustrated works
• The Starry Stone, by Charles Galtier, 1955: 16 drypoint etchings
• "Tales of Provence" Vol. 1 (1963), Vol. 2 (1964), Paul Ricard, Marseille
• The Humble Joy of Living, by Marie Mauron, 1973: 7 color serigraphs; 8 black and white screen prints
• Our Camargue, by Marie Mauron, 1974: 8 screen prints
• The Crau, by Marie Mauron, 1975: 11 screen prints
• Magical Luberon, by Marie Mauron, 1976: 13 screen prints
• The God of Ventoux, by Marie Mauron, 1976–1977: 8 screen prints
• The Mystical Montanette, by Marie Mauron, 1978: 12 screen prints
• The Old Man of the Mountain, by Marie Mauron, 1979: 8 lithographs
• Mare Nostron, by Marie Mauron, 1985: 24 lithographs
• If There's Still One Step Left, by Charles Galtier, 1988: illustrations