Sold at Auction: Giovanni Bragolin

Artist Giovanni Bragolin (1911–1981) is a post-WW II painter from Venice known for his Crying Boys series of oils on canvas or hardboard. All Giovanni Bragolin's paintings embrace classical realism, an American movement that the Italian Bragolin preceded by decades with his naturalistic style and compositional beauty.

Giovanni Bragolin's paintings of the crying boys actually included girls as well, all captured with melancholy expressions—and with tears that Bragolin added later. He depicts the children as street urchins, using a singular hue to dominate each portrait, and gently or liberally illuminating each child’s face against a rustic backdrop.

Prints of the series saturated Europe in the 1950s and 60s, today heightening the Giovanni Bragolin painting value of collectible originals. You can find an array of unique portrait paintings for sale at Invaluable that are sought after for their striking artistry.