Mural in Gouache on Canvas of Draped Performers on Abstracted Symbolic Stage

This stunning work was realized by the esteemed French artist Pierre de Berroeta in France circa 1945. This piece embodies a first rate example of his practice, combining the dynamic energized forms and vibrant palate for which the artist is most celebrated. The composition features three figures in the foreground wearing harlequinesque diamond form tapestries in hues of yellow and green chartreuse sky and sapphire blue. The two figures on the left are pictured playing instruments (a guitar and flute respectively) while the figure on the far right has an arm outstretched as if leading a procession. In the top right hand corner, there sits a stylized sun emitting blue rays, while pointillistic amorphic dappled forms in chalky reds and grisaille tones swirl in the background. The work has inflections of both historical French modern art (a la Picasso) as well as the influence of Magical realism from his time in South America. With its beautiful composition- full of verve and élan- and lively, sophisticated color palate, this piece would be a winning addition to any interior (as well as any first rate modern art collection). The work comes presented in a custom gallery frame and is in excellent vintage condition.

Pierre de Berroeta gained recognition during the 1960’s for his highly charged abstract compositions. Often using musical terminology in the title, like Kandinsky he drew inspiration from the abstract harmonies of music to capture the dynamism of post-war society. De Berroeta was born in France and attended the École des Beaux Arts de Paris in 1933 where he studied under Dewambez and Guérin. He exhibited extensively at the major Paris Salons, where his work found an enthusiastic audience, such as the Salon d’Automne, Salon des Independants, and Salon des Comparaisons. His early work was much inspired by the Basque landscape which he frequented throughout his life, and where he would eventually buy a farmhouse. But in 1939 he was enlisted and subsequently found himself a prisoner of war in Pomerania, however the guards permitted him to draw, and he also befriended fellow artist Jean Starck. Surviving the war he moved to Buenos Aires with his wife in 1945, where the bold colors and bright light would prove influential in his work. He held several exhibitions there, including at the Wildenstein gallery in Buenos Aires (the gallery also showed his work in Paris). Returning to Paris in 1954, he was commissioned to create a series of impressive wall tapestries for Aubusson, which proved so successful he continued to design for them until 1975, creating over 150 designs, which can still be seen hanging in many buildings throughout France and Switzerland.

De Berroeta also continued to exhibit his paintings, which from the late 1950’s turned towards abstraction, through a poetic interpretation of nature, using a synthesis of marks, colours and textures he generated enormous energy in his compositions. The subject matter from which he drew his inspiration is, as was with many of the modernist painters, urban life, the speed, the sound, the bright lights, the energy of post war society. But at the same time there was an inherent sense of isolation, and a re-examination of spirituality occurred through abstract art. Like his contemporary Vieira da Silva, de Berroeta expressed these aspects of their existence in his work. During the 1960’s, he would exhibit regularly at the Galerie Simone Heller as well as numerous group shows, and in 1964 he contributed to the International Biennale at Menton. Berroeta's work continues to be widely exhibited, and in 2012 a retrospective was held at the Musée des Beaux Arts in Libourne; and in 2017 a substantial monograph on the artist has been published by the eminent art historian Patrick-Gilles Persin.

France, circa 1945

Creator: Pierre de Berroeta (French)

Creation Year: circa 1945

Dimensions:

Height: 61 in (154.94 cm) x Width: 93 in (236.22 cm) x Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)

Medium: Gouache

Period: 1940-1949

Condition: Good