Luigi de Servi (1864 - 1945) Portrait of three women dated 1902

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Luigi de Servi (1864 - 1945) Portrait of three women dated 1902:
$8500.00

Luigi de SERVI

(1863-1945)
Oil on canvas, framed the dimensions are 26” x 44”. Unframed the dimensions are approximately 17”x 36”. Beautiful painting depictingthree glamorous women. Signed lower left and dated 1902.

Bio:

The son of an artist father, Pietro, who paintedreligious works, De Servi was \"an artist who depicted the drawing room,upper middle class patronage, series of family portraits and portraits offamous people, moving from the Classical style of his early works to theRomanticism of his early maturity and the Realism of his maturity\"(A.Tagliasacchi, Introduction to the exhibition catalogue Luigi De Servi,1863-1945, Lucca 2001).

The only internationally famous artist from Lucca, he had a sparkling,cosmopolitan personality. A collector, antiquarian and aesthete, De Serviworked untiringly between Lucca and Buenos Aires, Paris and London and Genoa,finally returning to his town of birth. The first time he went to Argentina wasin 1883. In the space of a few months De Servi established himself as aportrait artist, gaining commissions from families from the rich politicalélite of Argentina. In 1884 he painted the frescoes in the \"CasaRosada\" in Buenos Aires. A little later he received a governmentcommission for the decoration of the portico at the entrance to the La PlataMuseum and, in 1886, for the vestibule of the Chamber of the Senators of BuenosAires. After a brief period back in Italy, in 1889 De Servi was in Argentinaagain where he continued to work intensely.

In 1890 De Servi returned to Lucca, set up a studio, and, together with theartists Michele Marcucci and Domenico Martinelli, both from Lucca, executedfresco work in the twelve arcades of the city cemetery. After a few months inLondon, probably between 1891 and 1892, where he mainly worked on portraits,and a short period spent in Paris, De Servi returned to Italy. In 1894 he movedto Genoa where he lived for four years carrying out important public andprivate commissions. At the beginning of the century Genoa continued to be asource of prestigious commissions, for example the frescoes for Genoa’sBrignole railway station in 1905.

Following another stay in Argentina, from 1910 to 1914, during which time hedecorated the ceiling of the Presidential State Room in the GovernmentBuilding, De Servi returned to Lucca where he opened his first personalexhibition in the exhibition room of the \"Istituto Musicale Pacini\"at the \"Teatro del Giglio\". This was followed in 1918 by anexhibition with 11 works executed during the period of the war that he spent inhis town of birth. These included: \"Madonna della Pace\" (The Madonnaof Peace), \"Ritratto di Mario Davin\" (Portrait of Mario Davin),\"Ritratto della contessa Isabella Lamba Doria Sardi e figli\"(Portrait of Countess Isabella Lamba Doria and her children),\"Autoritratto\" (Self-Portrait).

The 1920\'s and 30\'s were marked by a succession of exhibitions and recognitionfor De Servi who, in 1924, came out in full support of Fascist ideology. Ofnote are the exhibition held in Rome in 1926, in the foyer of the \"TeatroNazionale\", the personal exhibition at \"Circolo Lucchese\" andthe \"Grand Hotel Royal\", Viareggio, both in 1931, and in 1939, heshowed at the Geri Gallery, Milan.

Following a long illness De Servi died in Lucca on 25 June 1945. BibliographyM.Bompani, La vita dell’artista, Luigi De Servi, 1863-1945, catalogue of theLucca 2001 exhibition.