Figurative Paintings

Michael Quirke was born in 1946 and studied at St Martin’s School of Art, London. After moving from London, Michael became a member of the art community in St Ives and was elected President of the St Ives Art Club. He is renowned for his passion for London, which he paints in his distinctive, expressionistic style. Michael studied under famed artists Frank Auerbach, Maurice Field and Leon Kossof. His bold use of impasto has won him admiration from his fellow artists in St Ives and collectors. Michael's work is now held in collections throughout the world. His atmospheric views of London streets and scenes are increasingly collectable. This painting of Sunset over London , was created with acrylic on canvas. Keywords: shopping, London, central, England, red, yellow, people, shop, shops, store, stores, busy, evening, could be st bride...

A charming oil painting depicting a classical religious scene of the Holy Family journey done in a highly impressionistic manner with unique colors and expressions with the use of br...

Italian illustrator Gianni Benvenuti paints a charming fantasy scene. It's of an extreme closeup of a tiny crowned and winged Prince and Princess They are standing upright in a dand...

An outstanding oil painting depicting a religious figure seated in a Synagogue with decorated columns and in between arches. The bright colors and quick brush strokes are what make t...

Very well executed original oil on masonite beach painting by the British artist., Miles Christopher Fairhurst. Signed with artist initials lower left. Signed verso along with arti...

Oil on canvas. Signed Aress. Oil mesures 33x24 cm. Frame mesures 48x39 cm.

Work sold to benefit the CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART Joseph B. O’Sickey (American, 1918–2013) Untitled, c. 1950 Oil on paper Signed lower right 12.5 x 19 inches Joseph O'Sickey, bo...

Oil on canvas by Henri-André Martin (1918-2004), France, ca.1960. Notre-Dame de Paris. With frame: 79.3x 60.3 cm - 31.2x23.7 inches. Without frame: 54x 73 cm - 21.3x28.7 inches. 20P format. Signed lower left "Henri A. Martin" (see photo). Born in Lyon in 1918, the child and the adolescent Henri-André Martin spent his youth in Saint-Étienne, his father, Edme Martin, first installed as a practicing doctor in Lyon, having been appointed doctor of the anti-tuberculosis dispensaries of the Loire. During his first years of studying medicine in Lyon, he nevertheless enrolled in the Beaux-Arts. Appointed hospital intern upon his return from captivity in 1942, he ended his medical career as director of the otolaryngology university clinic at Édouard-Herriot hospital. But painting was his passion. Painting was for Henri-André Martin the way of expressing his feelings. By nature very reserved and of an extreme modesty that many took for coldness, it was what allowed him to express his strong artistic sensitivity and, his pictorial periods are as many reflects of his anxieties, of his hopes, of his joys. At every period of his life, wherever he goes and whenever he has a moment, he paints gouaches, often of small size, but sometimes of larger size. He also paints beaches that have been compared to those of Boudin. Their invoice shows, however, that this figure is only appearance and that in fact, these beaches made of water, sky and sand, readily dispense with the motif, the work of the material seeming to have more importance. as the subject. Despite the fact that until the 1970s he painted "on the ground", his canvases remain far removed from the anecdote. Often harsh like the landscapes of Provence, the Parisian walls which express concern, or the railways, the switch tracks which suggest, in ocher and black, all the embarrassment of choice. We find the same nostalgic gravity in the canvases of the carcasses of boats which, as his friend Louis Pons later wrote, "seem to die of immobility" or in the canvases of Venice, or the landscapes of Eygalières. In the following years, his painting became simpler, more synthetic, such as these landscapes with tortured almond trees, black and gnarled olive trees, plane trees standing out against the ocher sky of the dawn of Provence, in winter. These are also the canvases of Hamburg in the dough becomes heavier, the colors darken, marking all the gravity of the port landscapes. Workshop work gradually takes precedence over motif painting. The pivotal period coincides with that of his work on the olive tree, during which he leads the realization of the "Trunks", a collection of six lithographic plates, of the book L'olivier comprising many lithographs and serigraphs, but also texts. poetic and numerous paintings. He then became passionate about everything related to the olive tree (literature, painting, traditions, history), but also to the tree itself, its thousand-year-old history, its poetry, its symbols, but also its culture, its size. oil production...

Gustavo Úbeda (1930-1994) - Picasian scene - Oil panel Oil measurements 50x41 cm. Frameless. The painting by Gustavo Úbeda Romero (Herencia, 1930 – Sao ...

Oil on canvas. "Sunshine Bliss: The Aroma of Summer Watermelon" In this painting, a vivid and joyful spectacle unfolds before us, as if a sunbeam has penetrated directly onto the c...

Painted circa 1955 by Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and stamped verso with Victor di Gesu estate stamp. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Victor di Gesu first attended the Los...

In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to announce that we are the only gallery in the United States representing the wor...

Original acrylic painting on canvas by the American artist, Henry Benson. Signed lower right. Condition is excellent. Benson is known for his textured beach paintings...

Born on the 17th September 1892 in Preston, Lancashire. He specialised in painting portraits, landscapes and marines on oil, watercolour and pastel and was an accomplished etcher and...

Work sold to benefit the CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART Joseph B. O’Sickey (American, 1918–2013) Industrial Cityscape Oil on paper Signed lower left 13.75 x 16.5 inches Joseph O'Sicke...

Title: Embrace Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 16 x 12 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting is unstretched Year: 2015 Artist: ShaoHua Nong...

A wonderful oil on canvas circa 1930 by Tunisian post impressionist painter Albert Braitou-Sala. The work depicts a beautiful, blonde nude laid back on a white sheet surrounded by cl...

Michael Quirke was born in 1946 and studied at St Martin’s School of Art, London. After moving from London, Michael became a member of the art community in St Ives and was elected Pr...

Joséphine Beaudouin (1909-2005) Poetry of the Bird, surrealist painting, 1948 Oil on canvas Signed "Joséphine Beaudouin" and dated "1948" lower left 13,7 x 10,6 inch Born in Albi in 1909, Josephine Beaudouin (née Cals) showed an early interest in drawing. At the age of twelve, she moved to Paris where her mother, Jeanne Ramel-Cals, ran a literary salon that was frequented by art world figures such as Ambroise Vollard. In 1925, while her first drawings appeared in the magazine Crapouillot, the young artist entered the School of Decorative Arts where she studied fresco painting. She married the architect Eugène Beaudouin in 1928, with whom she traveled throughout Europe. Beaudouin, a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, designed a series of buildings that were precursors of modern architecture in France (Clichy, Maison du Peuple; Antony, Résidence universitaire Jean Zay). Josephine Beaudouin exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon des Tuileries, the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs. The work of the one that Jean Cocteau described as "bewitching" is full of mystery. Her work bears the stamp of an extraordinary personality. Indeed, Josephine Beaudouin developed a penchant for dreams at a very early age and took refuge in the works illustrated by Gustave Doré. Her technical virtuosity and overflowing imagination were praised by the critics of her time who unanimously greeted her Marmorées (ill.1). Named by René Barotte, these are paintings made on marble slabs from 1955. The artist exploits the infinite resources of the veins of this support which inspires him poetic compositions with unusual subjects. Marked by surrealism, she returns to the fantastic by delivering a prodigious creation of the mind made of dreamed cities and trompe-l'oeil. The 1948 painting that we propose probably represents a red-billed chough. The bird is a recurring theme in the work of Josephine Beaudouin, as in her life. An avid ornithologist, she kept an aviary in her Parisian home where many island birds were kept. She also built up a collection of stuffed birds. Still on this theme, the writer Claude Aveline (1901-1992), author of the poem L'Oiseau-Qui-N'Existe-Pas, invited several visual artists to freely interpret what this bird could be. The first series of works was produced between 1956 and 1963. In 1957, Joséphine Beaudouin delivered a work with a pen of great finesse, now preserved at the Centre Pompidou (ill.2). Several renowned artists also responded to the invitation of the poet such as Jean Cocteau and Ossip Zadkine. The precision of the graphics of our painting testifies to an attentive observation of the anatomy of the birds. The artist paints with great delicacy: the technique is impeccable, the drawing is careful, the material is smooth, the details are represented with great finesse and mastery. Bibliography : Fernand Pouillon...

Carl Johansson (1863-1944) Sweden A Tranquil Landscape View, 1943 oil on wood panel signed and dated Carl Johansson 1943 - panel dimensions: 41 cm x 55 cm (16.14 inches x 21.65 inc...

Sometimes I like to let my paintings do the talking for me when we switch on the news at the moment, it's full of horror when the world is crying out for peace To say that Ta is a v...

Nu Assise by Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro (1878-1952) Oil on canvas
 55 x 47 cm (21 ⅝ x 18 ½ inches) 
Signed lower left, Ludovic Rodo
 Executed circa 1910 This work is accompanied by a cer...

Painting of Figures at a Parisian Market at Wintertime in the late 19th Century, by M Stanley. This is a signed original, oil on canvas, in good condition. P...

Joseph Broghammer Wee One 9 (Hummingbird, Portrait, Storytelling, Oil Painting) Oil on Canvas Year: 2023 Size: 14x11in Framed: 15x12x1in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1903...

Joseph Broghammer Point To Where It Hurts (Hummingbird, Portrait, Storytelling, Oil Painting) Oil on Canvas Year: 2023 Size: 66x72in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1898 *o...

Untitled is a work by contemporary Anton Kushaev from the series `Delirium`. In this series, the artist turns to a canonical motif — still life with a flower, the transformation of w...

Joseph Broghammer Yoni (Hummingbird, Portrait, Storytelling, Oil Painting) Oil on Canvas Year: 2023 Size: 40x30in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1890 *on stretcher frame -...

Surrealist, figurative large scale pastel of a deconstructed head and other elements by Gordon Muir. With original exhibition title label. Presented in fine silvered wood and fabric custom frame, under glass. A magnificent and truly monumental work of a 'deconstructed' head and three other triptych elements. Influenced by the paintings of Francis Bacon and Salvador Dali the work is intriguing and arresting at the same time. We can see how Muir gained such success later for his sculptural pieces as he is even in this work thinking in three dimensions. On closer inspection the details reveal themselves, the eyeball reminiscent of the shell of a horse chestnut, the furry surface to the tongue all in soft pastel shades. The three upper elements, in monochrome revealing the development of man. A really intriguing and strong painting that would grace any interior and be the talking point of any collection. It is very unusual to find a pastel of these proportions. The medium itself gives the work a softness creating an intriguing juxtaposition to the subject itself. Sculptor, born in Hawick, Gordon Muir was educated at art colleges in London, Scotland and the University of New Mexico, after which he spent time working with woodblock artists in Japan. He has more recently concentrated his artistic endeavours on sculpture, much of this in collaboration with the Paul Hogarth...

Oil on panel by Jules René HERVE, France, 1935-1940. "Maternity". Panel mounted on chassis. with frame: 39,5x34.2x5 cm - 15.6x13.4x2 inches - without frame: 27x22 cm - 10.6x8.7 inches. Signed lower left "Jules R Hervé...

Portrait of a Lady in a Garden French School, early 1900's typical of the Nabis School movement oil on canvas, framed framed: 16.5 x 16.5 inches canvas : 14.5 x 14.5 inches provenanc...

Joseph Broghammer Release Jealousy (Hummingbird, Portrait, Storytelling, Oil Painting) Oil on Canvas Year: 2022 Size: 44x34in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1892 *on stret...

Joseph Broghammer Luck Memory (Hummingbird, Portrait, Storytelling, Oil Painting) Oil on Canvas Year: 2023 Size: 21x17in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1897 *Framed - read...

Ozer Shabat 1978-1901 Ozer Shabbat was an Israeli painter, a resident of Haifa. Belonged to the Palestine Expressionist group of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Shabbat was born in Wolbrom, Poland. At the end of the First World War he went to Holland for agricultural training in the framework of the HeChalutz movement, prior to his immigration to Palestine. In 1920 he immigrated to Eretz Israel and joined the Hulda group. Later he joined the Merhavia group and there he began painting. Because of his desire to study drawing, he left the group and moved to Jerusalem. In 1921, he wrote articles in the newspaper "HaSadeh" on the subject of agriculture and Dutch cheese. Ozer Shabath won the first prize in a competition for the design of the Dutch Consulate's Garden in Jerusalem, enabling him to travel to Paris in 1923 to study painting. Until 1925 he studied painting at the Grande Chaumiere Academy in Paris. This year he returned to Eretz Israel and settled in Haifa, where he lived until his death. In 1928 he participated for the first time in an exhibition of Eretz Israel artists at the Tower of David. Since then he has participated in all the general exhibitions of Israeli artists. In 1934, together with painters Menachem Shemi, Avraham Mohar, Zvi Meirovitch and others, he founded the Haifa Artists' Group. In 1935-36 he toured Europe and visited Italy, France and England. During his visit, he maintained contacts with artists from the Jewish school of Paris. He has exhibited in several solo exhibitions, represented Israel in exhibitions in Europe and participated in international exhibitions in New York, Johannesburg and Zurich. In 1958 he represented Israel in the Venice Biennale. In 1960, Shabat, together with Elchanan Halpern he represented the Israeli Painters Association at the International Congress of Plastic Arts held in Vienna, Austria . In the 40s and 50s he focused on landscape pictures. However, despite the focus on the Israeli landscape, the approach is universal in the framework of the post-Impressionist painting school. In the 1960s, his approach changed and he turned more to abstraction. The abstract direction gradually evolved. The point of departure of the abstract approach is the architectural landscape, but this view loses its real character and becomes only imaginary: the buildings lose their real character and turn into exclusive geometric areas that are usually set against a dark background. Over time, architecture captured the lion's share of his paintings. Cities like Safed, Jaffa and Jerusalem are the subject of many pictures. He taught painting and art at the schools of the kibbutzim in Ramat Yochanan and Kfar Yehoshua, in high schools in Haifa and in the IDF and Gordon seminars. His paintings were purchased and are in the permanent collection of the Bezalel National Museum (now the Israel Museum), Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa Maritime Museum, Acre Municipal Museum. Select Solo exhibitions 1936 - Nadler Gallery, Haifa. 1943 - The Tel Aviv Museum of Art. 1952 - Artists House, Haifa. 1953 - Bezalel House, Jerusalem. 1955 - Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland. 1955 - The Writers' Club, Haifa. 1959 - Artists House, Haifa. 1960 - Museum of Modern Art, Haifa. 1962 - Museum of Modern Art, Haifa. 1963 - Gallery 220, Tel Aviv. 1968 - The Municipal Museum of Beit Emanuel, Ramat Gan. 1979 - Memorial exhibition marking the first anniversary...

LOOK FOR FREE SHIPPING AT CHECKOUT OR GALLERY RATE A Boy and His Dog shows the hyperrealism of modern Cuban art that is now available to the world...

This superb vibrant Orientalist Post Impressionist oil painting is by noted British artist Gerald Spencer Pryse. It was painted about 1925 when Pryse was visiting Morocco and Norther...

"Jeni Stallings creates work that often draws from her dreams and personal experiences. She tends to render those moments in a muted, femininity-infused surrealism far from the hard-...

Frank Hill is a professional artist living and working in North Norfolk. He studied art at Waltham Forest School of Art and later at St Martins School of Art. Frank’s professional c...

Joseph Broghammer My Problems Hump (Hummingbird, Portrait, Storytelling, Oil Painting) Oil on Canvas Year: 2022 Size: 40x30in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1891 *on stret...

A beautiful oil on canvas painting by the French artist, Jean Salabet. Salabet was a Parisian painter known for his colorful cityscapes depicting the times of his generation. His wor...

*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 20% VAT ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE La Voile Rose (Cognac) by H. Claude Pissarro (b. 1935) Oil on canvas 50 x 61 cm (19 ³/₄ x 24 inches) Signed lower...

Morning Light Seascape - Mid 20th Century Oil of Boats England by Donald Blake Frederick Donald Blake Born in Greenock, Scotland in 1908 and died in 1997. Blake's family moved to Lo...

Mental closeness connects two dissimilar beings, despite great differences. keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary...

The Untitled is part of the series "Frame of Sorrows" created by Anton Kushaev for the installation at Voskhod Gallery's showcase in Basel in 2022. This painting was exhibited in the...

The Untitled is part of the series "Frame of Sorrows" created by Anton Kushaev for the installation at Voskhod Gallery's showcase in Basel in 2022. This painting was exhibited in the...

The Untitled is part of the series "Frame of Sorrows" created by Anton Kushaev for the installation at Voskhod Gallery's showcase in Basel in 2022. This painting was exhibited in the...

Frank Hill is a professional artist living and working in North Norfolk. He studied art at Waltham Forest School of Art and later at St Martins School of Art. Frank’s professional c...

"Jeni Stallings creates work that often draws from her dreams and personal experiences. She tends to render those moments in a muted, femininity-infused surrealism far from the hard-...

Gabriel Casarrubios Martín (1953) - Fishermen - Oil on panel Oil size 27x22 cm. Frameless. Gabriel Casarrubios Martín (1953) The Toledo artist trained in Fine Arts in Madrid, at th...

A one of a kind 24x18 Magisterial Figurative Oil on Canvas Painting executed by artist Margaret Chiaro. A certificate of authenticity will be provided upon its purchase or delivery. ...

I paint people; I want my paintings to have character to tell a story but without words as if using mime. To be dramatic, emotional, sometimes theatrical but always with feelings and...

A one of a kind 24x30 Magisterial Oil on Canvas Painting executed by artist Margaret Chiaro. A certificate of authenticity will be provided upon its purchase or delivery. Margaret Chiaro was born in York...

In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to announce that we are the only gallery in the United States representing the wor...

Signed lower right, "Di Gesu" for Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and painted circa 1965. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Victor di Gesu first attended the Los Angeles Art Cen...

“The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real.” Lucian Freud My hero, Vincent Van Gogh, painted his sunflowers in Arles, in the Sou...

02 / 10 / 2023 I signed a book contract for Egg Island; it will now go through the publishing process and will be in print next year. I was overwhelmed by the editorial board's fee...

For sale is a captivating painting by the Swedish artist, Rikard Lindström (1882-1943). Depicting a picturesque water canal, with charming houses lini...

This artwork titled "Medieval City" c.1960 is an oil painting on canvas by Czech/American artist Alois Lecoque 1891-1981 It is signed at the lower right corner by the artist. The canvas size is 24 x 32 inches, framed is 30.35 x 38.25 inches. Framed in a wooden gold frame, with gold color bevel and fabric liner. It is in excellent condition. This artwork is a perfect example of the work of Alois Lecoque whom continued through the end of the 20 Century, the style of the famous French impressionists like Manet, Renoir, Cezanne and Monet. About the artist. Alois Lecoque was born in Prague in 1891 as Alois Kahout. His father, an engineer specializing in the regulation of rivers and hydraulic stations, wanted him to follow in his footsteps but Alois wanted to be an artist and his father wisely assented. After six years of formal study at Prague's Real Schule, he went to Zagreb to study at the Art Institute under Professor Crncic. There he mastered the technique of capturing scenic objects in effervescent color. Alois Kahout was such an outstanding student who applied himself assiduously that he left the institute with high honors. So pleased was his father that he agreed to allow his son the dream for opportunity to go to Paris where the art world was in such an excited ferment. In Paris he attended the Academie Julian studying under professors Baschet, Emile Bernard and others who were highly respected by the Post Impressionist school of painting. Kahout now became Lecoque - the French name for Rooster, which had the same meaning in the Czech language. Renoir, the great master took a liking to the young artist and taught him many of his secrets; predicting that his drive and originality would one day make him famous. Establishing his own studio in "La Ruche des Artistes" located in the famed Vauguirard quarter, he met and became friends with many artists whose works have since achieved world acclaim, including the sculptor Zadkine, Miossi Kogan, Modigliani, Soutine and many others. In 1913, his works were exhibited at the Anglo German Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London. In 1914, Lecoque returned to Prague where he was highly honored by winning the first prize of Frs.3,000 in gold by Architect Turek. The press raved with acclaim and Lecoque basked in the glory of local celebrity. His paintings were in great demand and as befits a successful painter he moved into an entire floor of the Coloredo Mansfeld Palace. Here he played well the role of social lion and entertained lavishly like a Seigneur. Important personages found it fashionable to be linked with his name. But World War I exploded and so did Lecoque's high style of living. He spent the war years in Prague because of a medical exemption, and the Austrian government realized that it was better to keep such a famous painter home than to send him to the front. Meanwhile Lecoque endured an unhappy marriage and left Prague in 1920 to journey to Algiers at the invitation of his friend Dinet in Bou - Sada, deep in the heart of the Sahara desert. He remained for two years in different places of North Africa and then his restless soul compeled him to return to Paris, which he loved and missed intensely. There - at the Rue Jacob - Lecoque concentrated on scenes of the Siene River, the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the interesting bridges. He worked feverishly, and in two years he had enough paintings for an exhibit at the Andree Galarie where his works were avidly snapped up by collectors. Restless again, he went to the coast of Brittany, Brignogan, where he painted with such fury that he was able to go back to Paris with enough works for a second showing that brought such favorable reviews from the critics and such financial rewards that his friends urged him to remain in Paris and reap his due there. However, Emile Bernard longed for his company and beckoned him to Venice. On the Canal Rio del Piombo he occupied a studio in one of the palaces and here he settled down to serious work. Evenings were spent in the company of Emile Bernard, the Russian painter Resrodni and the Italian poet, Luigi Gentina. They debated politics, art, women, and not necessarily in that order. One of his crowning achievements was capturing vividly a few gondolas lazily moving over the surface of the Canale Grande, while white snow fell over the Bysantine-like rooftops. This and other paintings were accepted for the exhibit in the Biennale of Venice in 1926 and again in 1928. But as much as he enjoyed Venice, Lecoque had to depart hastily, due to his innocent involvement in a plot to assassinate Benito Mussolini. Back to Prague he went in 1925 where he settled down to enjoy 13 of the most exciting years of his life. Here in his beloved home city, Lecoque's popularity rose immensely. Overnight his paintings increased in value and many of his works were purchased by the government. Meanwhile he exhibited in Prague, Ostrava and Bratislava and often traveled to Paris to meet his friends, George Kars, Kupka, Utrillo and others. He also took time to remarry and find happiness for a while with his second wife. The clouds of War descended again on Europe and because of his bold and controversial political philosophies Lecoque again was forced to flee. Hunted like an animal by the Nazis, he escaped to free Yugoslavia, where he boarded his yacht, "Angela," sailing from one picturesque harbor to another down the Dalmatian coast and the Greek islands. Then both Yugoslavia and Greece were occupied by the Nazis and fascist armies, Lecoque saved his life in Dubrovnik, in the Italian zone. However after the capitulation of the Italian army in Dalmatia, Lecoque was captured by the Germans and sent to Sarajevo where he spent many months in prison. After a trial the military confined him to Dubrovnik. But, before the end of the war he was again arrested by the Gestapo and together with 43 partisans, imprisoned. One morning, when the Gestapo came to execute Lecoque and his friend Spitzer the director of Police, a Croate who liked Lecoque's paintings very much, surrendered only Spitzer to the Germans. That same morning, one of the Partisan women came to bring Lecoque food. Under her shawl she was hiding a machine gun and a large rusted can with some cooked vegetables for him. When Lecoque went to the cell with all the forty three Partisans he noticed that inside the can were three hand grenades. As he did not know how to handle the grenades he learned that his companions had also received various weapons and in this way he was able to exchange the grenades for a Mauser pistol. Then Lecoque called for help and the guard came. When he opened the door Lecoque forced him inside, pressing his gun to the guard's chest, he ordered him to call the other guard. Lecoque promised him he would live providing he followed Lecoque's orders explicitly. They immediately handed over their guns as well as the entire prison arsenal, which Lecoque distributed amongst his fellow partisans. Then, well armed, they all escaped to a medieval tower where they waited until all the Germans had left the city. Dubrovnik, was already occupied by partisans, and they were more than happy to see Lecoque and his fellows alive. They had feared for their lives. Thus with Guile, audacity, genius and multi-language as his arsenal, Lecoque managed to keep his neck intact while his poetic elegance expressed itself in the innumerable canvasses he managed to paint. Finally in the Fall of 1944, the Partisan's whom he had aided in their battled against the Germans, spirited him aboard a Naval vessel in the harbor of Split. It took him to the harbor of Bari in Southern Italy, now in the hands of the Allies. From there an American truck convoy took him to Rome where he was joyously received by the Czechoslovakian Legation. From 1945 to 1951 Lecoque's colorful career as an artist gained new luster and his personal life was enriched by new challenges and opportunities. Rome, Milan, Florence, and Capri now became sources of inspiration for his prolific paint brush and his unique canvases of scenes in those famous cities won him acclaim in numerous exhibits. His keen and perceptive eye, said one critic, "had revealed the splendor of the Italian cities to the Italians." Two of his books were published there but another art form beckoned his versatile talents. His commanding presence and flair for dramatic expression caught the eye of the famed movie director, Carmen Galloni, and he won a role in the motion picture Avanti a lui tremava tuta Roma. His role was that of General Melzer, in charge of the Nazi occupation of Rome. Ironic indeed for the man who strenuously fought the Nazis. The great Italian actress, Anna Magnani, who starred in the film, profusely commended his performance and they became good friends. The picture was highly successful at the box office and brought Lecoque new friends and funds that enabled him to live in a spacious villa on the enchanting Isles of Capri. He settled down there for a while to paint and host elaborate parties. With a studio in Rome, a villa in Capri, once again Lecoque played well his favorite role - that of the Grand Seigneur. Now he could move to the intellectual circles to which he was quite at ease with. Among his friends were Enrico Prampolini, Giorgio de Chirico, Mario Mafai, Josef Jarema, Guttuso Renato and Monachesi Sante. In 1945 he exhibited at the Galleria San Marco in Rome and in 1946 at the Galleria Salvetti in Milano. In 1948 new honors cascaded upon him for his stunning exhibit at the Al Blu de Prussia in Naples and at the Studio de Guillio Parisio. His last exhibit in Italy was held at the elegant Galleria Nazionale de Arte Moderna in Rome, which drew capacity crowds. The sunny skies of Italy, the warmth and animation of the Italians in all walks of life and the sumptuous living made Lecoque's existence there quite endurable - for a while. But the Gods of Adversity had other plans for Lecoque. A hard core of Fascist carry-overs attained some influence in the shaky Italian Government, and Lecoque's alleged part in the attempted assassination plot against Mussolini was not forgotten. A move was made to deport him, and he was sent to the Campo de Capua, a displaced persons camp. He could not go back to Prague which was clamped under the despotic rule of the hated Communists, who were anathema to everything he believed in and fought for. All of the property that he had in Prague was lost. Because of his age, which made immigration impossible to every country he attempted to enter, even his beloved France, he became a man without a country. After many heartbreaking and humiliating experiences in Switzerland, Sweden, and France, he was finally granted permission to enter the United States. But more heartbreak awaited him in America. When he arrived in Chicago during a cruel harsh winter, at age 60, with five dollars in his pocket, he found that the job his sponsor had promised him was just a promise. The promise of full freedom was now ironically fraught with the promise of starvation and despair. But Lecoque's indomitable spirit again prevailed. Soon, with the help of the Czech community and especially Roderick A. Gorman, who became his friend and biographer, Lecoque began painting and exhibiting again. Subsequently, he went to California, and after several successful years in Laguna Beach, he settled in Los Angeles where he maintained an art gallery and frequently sponsored exhibits for other artists striving for recognition. In 1960 he gained one of the greatest treasures of his life - his American citizenship and thus his freedom to roam the world and exhibit his work in the countries of his choice. Paris - which once refused him - welcomed him with open arms when he returned to exhibit in 1961 at the Gallerie Benezit and in 1962 at the Galerie Mercel Bernheim. Again in 1963 he exhibited at the Palais Royal Galerie in Paris and sold one of his paintings to Sir James Farmer Norton, who invited him to visit England. During his visit with Sir James he finished a large painting of Venice...

Unlike many surrealists, who present their dreams, the central subjects of Ta’s work are people and bold colours. Her work opens up new art dimensions to explore. Her Blue Valentine ...