Antoine Serra (1908-1995) Women And Children In Front Of The Farm In Oliena - Sardinia 1959

Simplified shapes and minimalist colors for this oil on canvas in perfect condition by the Marseille artist of Sardinian origin, leader of the movement of proletarian painters Antoine Serra. The work is offered in a modern black frame, American box type which suits it very well and which measures 29.5 cm by 40.5 cm, 24 cm by 35 cm for the canvas alone. It is signed and dated (19) 59 lower right, numbered 43, titled and located "Maison à Oliena" on the back. Arrived in Marseille in 1914, he entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts in 1921. In 1928, he participated in his first exhibition with a group of painters, including Simon Auguste and Louis Toncini. It is a committed artist who founded, in 1933, the group of “proletarian painters” which would later become the group of “painters of the people” with other politically engaged artists such as François Diana, Louis Toncini or Louis Roc. The canvases produced during this period represent factories, portraits of workers, all of which reflect a deep sadness, a feeling of pain and misery. In 1936, he animates in Marseille, always with the group of his painter friends, Louis Toncini, François Diana and Léon Cadenel, the first Provincial House of Culture (of which he is one of the founding members), inaugurated by Aragon and Malraux. After the war, he suffered one day, without being able to get rid of it, a magnetic attraction for the Alpilles, which he discovered during a stay, amazed by "landscapes enveloped in a light which magnifies the forms" . He then decided to settle in this region, which he did in 1946, by buying an old farmhouse, renovated over the years, the “Mas du Diable”, located at the foot of Baux de Provence. It is in the heart of this adopted Provence that he can give free rein to his art, far from the bustle of Marseille and his hitherto daily commitments. However, he still has another wish to realize: to get to know his native land, Sardinia, which he had left very young: he thus made several stays there, from which he returned dazzled. The return to his roots, in this country which he discovered, then sharpens in him a frenzy of creation. He moved to Olbia, welcomed by close cousins, who offered him hospitality, then spent several months in the mountainous region, in the heart of the villages of Oliena and Orgosolo. There he painted scenes from everyday life, interior scenes: women making bread or knitting, family scenes in front of the fireplace, of glaring truth. 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 paintings from Sardinia in Cagliari (Sardinia) and Paris, Galerie Weill. 1963: Exhibition at the Palais des Arts in Marseille 1966: Exhibition at Galerie Chabaud in Paris. 1967: Château de la Jansonne exhibition in Arles. 1968: Guest of honor at the Salon de Montélimar 1970: Exhibition Galerie Saint Georges in Marseille, Purchase of a painting by the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. Retrospective at the Château de Tallard. 1971: Exhibition at the Cantini Museum in Marseille; purchase of a painting by the Longchamp museum. 1972: Exhibition at the “Salle Basse” gallery in Martigues. 1974: Participation in the International Biennial, Granet Museum in Aix en Provence. 1975: Exhibition in Paris, Galerie "Tamenaga" 1976: Exhibition in Tokyo. 1977: Exhibition at the departmental museum of 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 “Paul Valéry” museum 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 Comedia Theater in Aubagne. 1995: Last exhibition during his lifetime, at the Mas des Arnaud, in Saint-Martin de Crau Illustrated works La Pierre starilée, by Charles Galtier, 1955: 16 dry points "Contes de Provence" T.1 (1963), T.2 ( 1964), Paul Ricard, Marseille L'Humble joie de vivre, by Marie Mauron, 1973: 7 color serigraphs; 8 black colored screenprints Notre Camargue, by Marie Mauron, 1974: 8 La Crau screenprints, by Marie Mauron, 1975: 11 Magique Luberon screenprints, by Marie Mauron, 1976: 13 Le Dieu Ventoux, by Marie Mauron, 1976–1977: 8 serigraphs La Mystique Montanette, by Marie Mauron, 1978: 12 serigraphs Le Vieux de la montagne, by Marie Mauron, 1979: 8 lithographs Mare Nostron, by Marie Mauron, 1985: 24 lithographs If there is still a step, by Charles Galtier, 1988: illustrations