Stacha Halpern (1919-1969) - “composition”

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated '54' lower right. Dimensions: 27.5 x 35 cm. Provenance: Collector based in Tourette-sur-Loups in the 1950s. Biography: Stanislaw (Stacha) Halpern (1919-1969) was an Australian painter, potter, engraver, and sculptor of Polish origin. Born in Zolochev (then in Poland, now in Ukraine), he emigrated to Australia in 1939 after the German invasion of Poland. Settling in Melbourne, he discovered ceramics in the mid-1940s and became involved with the artistic circle of Arthur Boyd and John Perceval. His first solo exhibition took place in 1950. The following year, he left for Europe where he lived for nearly fifteen years, primarily in Paris and the south of France. There he developed an energetic expressionist style of painting, featuring urban landscapes, street scenes, and a striking series of beef carcasses. Returning to Melbourne in 1966, he turned to fragmented human figures while continuing his work as a ceramicist, inspired by European folk pottery. Halpern died suddenly in 1969 in Hampton, Australia. Although long overlooked, he is now considered one of the original figures of 20th-century Australian art. More information: Galerie Paris-Manaus