Francisco Marsà Figueras

FRANCISCO MARSÀ FIGUERAS (Tárrega, Lérida, 1900 - 1969).
"Landscape.
Oil on tablex.
Signed and dedicated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 30 x 19 cm; 43 x 33 cm (frame).

Francisco Marsà was formed in the School of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi, in Barcelona, where he had Félix Mestres as a teacher. He completed his studies at the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, and made his debut at the Art Exhibition held in Barcelona in 1919. From 1925 he participated assiduously in the exhibitions organized by the Barcelona group Art Vivent. He specialized in the still life genre, with works in which he demonstrates a good compositional mastery and in which he distances himself from the colder procedure of the traditional Spanish still life. His language evolved from the initial impressionism to reach a certain expressionism in his final works. He participated in several group exhibitions and artistic competitions, both in Spain and abroad, being distinguished on several occasions. He was awarded a gold medal at the 1934 Spring Exhibition of the Academy of Sant Jordi, and also participated in the Venice Biennale in 1941, was awarded a prize in Berlin and also exhibited in Stockholm and in the Gaspar room in Barcelona. In 1941 he was awarded a second class medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid. He was also part of the Third Salon of the Eleven of Madrid (1945), being presented by Eduardo Aunós. Marsà was one of the most appreciated still life painters of the thirties and forties in Spain, and a year after his death his hometown paid tribute to him with an anthological exhibition of his work. Francisco Marsà is represented in the Museo del Prado (work on deposit at the Museo de l'Empordà), as well as in other public and private collections.