Josep Serrrasanta

JOSEP SERRASANTA (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1916 – Valldoreix, Barcelona, 1998).
“Strolling in Plaza de Catalunya.”
Oil on táblex.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 28 x 35 cm; 36 x 44 cm (frame).

Born to Catalan parents, Serrasanta lived in Catalonia from childhood. There, he studied at the La Lonja School of Arts and Crafts and completed his training as a student of Francesc Gimeno. He focused on landscape, still life, figure painting, and mural painting. In this latter field, he created decorations in various Catalan churches using tempera, fresco, or oil, most notably the murals he painted in the Church of Santa María de Castelldefels, as well as the three domes of Lleida Cathedral. He held a solo exhibition in Tarrasa and, later, at the Augusta Galleries in Barcelona in 1950. He also held solo exhibitions on several occasions in Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia, Paris, and various cities in the United States and Japan. His work, rooted in traditional concepts, is characterized by his energetic use of the palette knife and vibrant color palette. In 1964, he won the Grand Prix International de Cannes, and later the French government awarded him the Grand Croix du Commandeur au Mérite National Française.