Josep Maria Sert Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Josep Maria Sert Art Value Price Guide

May. 19, 2026
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Sketch for "Montserrat", whose final work is part of the panels "Catalan Evocations"
Est: €2,400 - €2,600
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Sketch for "Montserrat", whose final work is part of the panels "Catalan Evocations", destined to one of the halls of the landscaped attic of the first building erected in Via Laietana belonging to Francesc Cambó. Oil on paper. Measurements: 13,5 x 27,5 cm (paper). Josep Maria Sert, muralist painter, and Francesc Cambó, Catalan politician and patron of the arts, maintained a very close relationship based above all on patronage, friendship and cultural collaboration. Cambó was one of Sert's main protectors and promoters. Thanks to his economic and social support, the painter was able to develop his international career, especially at a time when large decorative commissions required important contacts and funding. In gratitude, Sert painted five panels for Cambó - the series known as Catalan Evocations - for one of the halls in the garden attic of the first building erected on the Via Laietana, owned by Cambó himself. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, before a great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
May. 19, 2026
JOSEP MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Centaures i figures. Paris, ca. 1913. Preparatory charcoal drawing on paper adhered to board. Presents signature and dedication in the lower left corner "Herva de Regnier (?)
Est: €12,000 - €13,000
JOSEP MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Centaures i figures. Paris, ca. 1913. Preparatory charcoal drawing on paper adhered to board. Presents signature and dedication in the lower left corner "Herva de Regnier (?) / hommage respectueux JM Sert". Attached certificate of authenticity issued by the Institut Amatller d'Art Hispànic. The frame is slightly damaged. Measurements: 43 x 113 cm; 57,5 x 125,5 cm (frame). In 1913, Sert painted the decoration of two adjoining rooms (the ballroom and the music room) in the residence of Sir Saxton Noble, in Kent House, London. In the first of these rooms, also known as the Hall of the Bocraneans, the artist depicted two large scenes, one dedicated to the Triumph of Bacchus and a second that could correspond to the Triumph of Orpheus. The drawing in question shows remarkable compositional and conceptual coincidences with the aforementioned works, so that it is fully justified to consider it as a preliminary study for this decorative ensemble. Thus we see how the two centaurs on the right are very close to those of the Triumph of Orpheus; or how the center of the scene is occupied by a couple of young people, while the centaur on the left occupies the same space as the group of pachyderms of the final work, being necessary to highlight the formal equivalence that occurs between the garland held by the two children of the study and the trunk of the elephant closest to the viewer of the painting. At the same time, it should be noted that some of the motifs found in the drawing seem to have been transferred to the Triumph of Bacchus, such as the reference to the central couple, the fanciful ligature of the young protagonist that corresponds to the crowns of screens of several characters in the painting, or the multitude of large tubs that occupy the background of the composition. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned a large mural decoration for the cathedral of Vic, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he created sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and exhibited individually in London, in the Agnew room. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, before a great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named academician of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid or the council hall of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterized by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by orientalism and Goya's expressionism.
Setdart Auction House
May. 19, 2026
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Garlands", ca. 1900-1915. Preparatory charcoal drawing on paper. Attached classification card of the Institut Amatller d'Art Hispànic.
Est: €9,000 - €10,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Garlands", ca. 1900-1915. Preparatory charcoal drawing on paper. Attached classification card of the Institut Amatller d'Art Hispànic. Measurements: 59 x 87 cm; 84 x 113 cm (frame). Due to its format and composition, this preparatory drawing was possibly conceived by José María Sert to solve the pictorial decoration of a dome, as a result of the multiple ornamental pictorial commissions that the artist received throughout his career. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned a large mural decoration for the cathedral of Vic, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he created sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and exhibited individually in London, in the Agnew room. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, before a great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named academician of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid or the council hall of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterized by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by orientalism and Goya's expressionism, with a chromaticism almost exclusively based on golden and sepia tones. Attached certificate of authenticity issued by the Institut Amatller d'Art Hispànic.
Setdart Auction House
May. 14, 2026
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT. “Fishing scenes”.
Est: €6,000 - €6,200
Gold leaf and oil on panel. Project for a large folding screen (nearly 15 linear metres) commissioned by Corina Kavanagh for the music room of her residence on the 14th floor of the Kavanagh Building in Buenos Aires. Circa 1938. The final screen consists of more than thirty panels, leaving openings for four functional doors (in which, in this sketch, two curtain mock-ups have been placed for the two visible doors in this fragment). The screen appeared for sale in March 2019 at the TEFAF Maastricht fair. 39 × 157 cm (panel) and 57.5 × 194 cm (overall).
Balclis
Feb. 25, 2026
JOSE MARIA SERT Y BADIA Barcelona (1900 / 1945) "Mediterranean Vision", 1931
Est: €13,500 - €18,000
Oil and gilt on canvas adhered to panel Sketch for a screen that the artist gave in 1940 to the Countess of Ruiseñada Bibliography: - Del Castillo, A, "José María Sert and his work", p. 198 Measurements: 122 x 91 cm
Ansorena
Feb. 25, 2026
JOSE MARIA SERT Y BADIA Barcelona (1900 / 1945) "Fireplace Room, Kent House, London"
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Oil and gilt on canvas-covered panel Dimensions: 42.5 x 54 cm
Ansorena
Jan. 21, 2026
ATTRIBUTED TO JOSE MARIA SERT Y BADIA Barcelona (1900) / (1945) "Sketch for Hell"
Est: €3,000 - €4,000
Oil on canvas Measurements: 70 x 31 cm
Ansorena
Jan. 14, 2026
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "San Antonio y Santa Gertrudis". Study for the decoration of the cathedral of Vic
Est: €6,000 - €7,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "San Antonio y Santa Gertrudis". Study for the decoration of the cathedral of Vic. Oil and collage (leather) on canvas. Wooden frame with wear, scratches and some flaws Work exhibited in "José María Sert, 40 works, 1910-1943", Emeric Hahn gallery, Paris, 2017. Measurements: 98 x 139 cm; 112 x 152 cm (frame). Although Josep Maria Sert would receive incessant major commissions, the work that was most present throughout his life was the decoration of Vic Cathedral. Sert worked arduously on the task, even making several studies of the same subject, so many sketches on paper abound. In "Saint Anthony and Saint Gertrude", the bodies take relief thanks to an excellent grisaille work. Sert received the commissions around 1900, but they were interrupted by the First World War, so he took them up again, suppressing the color and rethinking the perspectives to obtain depth. The mural painting of the cathedral as a whole was completed in 1929, but only seven years later it was destroyed. Shocked, Sert accepted the restoration of the cathedral, based on a set of bas-reliefs that would not be completed until the year of his death. José María Sert was one of the most quoted and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. Heir to the Catalan Renaixença and modernist training, he developed a pictorial style outside the stylistic currents of his time. These characteristics make him a renovator of mural painting and a prolific artist who painted more than seven thousand square meters of cathedrals, palaces, great halls, private residences and city halls of various cities. Maria Sert was one of the most quoted and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he finished the main part of the decoration of the cathedral, which will be completed with the realization of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Dec. 17, 2025
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled. Oil on panel.
Est: €5,000 - €6,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled. Oil on panel. Measurements: 47 x 43cm; 71 x 66 cm (frame). Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Artistic Circle of Sant Lluc, and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned a large mural decoration for the cathedral of Vic, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he created sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and exhibited individually in London, in the Agnew room. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, before a great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named academician of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid or the council hall of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterized by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by orientalism and Goya's expressionism.
Setdart Auction House
Nov. 19, 2025
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Puppets." Sketch for Harrison Williams' dining room paintings, 1933. Oil on canvas.
Est: €2,000 - €2,400
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Puppets." Sketch for Harrison Williams' dining room paintings, 1933. Oil on canvas. Another similar sketch is catalogued in "José María Sert. 1874-1945)", Ministry of Culture, General Directorate of Fine Arts and Archives, p.174. Measurements: 37 x 18 cm; 49 x 28 cm (frame). Following the statements made by Alberto del Castillo in his book "José María Sert. His life and work" together with Alexandre Cirici, "In 1933 José María Sert left the decoration of the dining room of the house of Mr. Harrison Williams, in New York, for whom he had already painted in 1926 the decoration of his Tennis pavilion in Long Island. The theme chosen for the five panels that made up this decoration was the evocation of Spain, which the artist resolved in the form of mock balconies populated by picturesque types. The balcony scene, used in a pompous way by the great Venetian artists, had received its realist consecration with Goya, in the sense that Manet would later imitate. Sert knew how to make the theme his own, giving it a new twist, without falling into the Spanish pastiche of the current pompiers who have tried to imitate the Goyaesque solution. The character of these Sertian balconies has a lot of innocent theatrical artifice, of puppet theater, which gives a certain note of irony that cures all pedantic intonation. Thus, graceful, almost magazine style, without a hint of megalomania, the balconies of this dining room smile, with clear and varied intonations, on a gray background. Their immediate precedent is undoubtedly the balconies of the Buenos Aires roof of the swings, in the palace of Pereda, where, as here, the balcony is combined with the note of colored fabrics and a certain allusion to folkloric clothing". Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned a large mural decoration for the cathedral of Vic, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he created sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly).
Setdart Auction House
Nov. 19, 2025
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Puppets." Sketch for Harrison Williams' dining room paintings, 1933. Oil on canvas.
Est: €2,000 - €2,400
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Puppets." Sketch for Harrison Williams' dining room paintings, 1933. Oil on canvas. Another similar sketch is catalogued in "José María Sert. Su vida y su obra", Alberto del Castillo, Librería Editorial Argos S.A., fig. 65, p. 224. Measurements: 37 x 18 cm; 49 x 28 cm (frame). Following Alberto del Castillo's statements in his book "José María Sert. His life and work" together with Alexandre Cirici, "In 1933 José María Sert left the decoration of the dining room of the house of Mr. Harrison Williams, in New York, for whom he had already painted in 1926 the decoration of his tennis pavilion in Long Island. The theme chosen for the five panels that made up this decoration was the evocation of Spain, which the artist resolved in the form of mock balconies populated by picturesque types. The balcony scene, used in a pompous way by the great Venetian artists, had received its realist consecration with Goya, in the sense that Manet would later imitate. Sert knew how to make the theme his own, giving it a new twist, without falling into the Spanish pastiche of the current pompiers who have tried to imitate the Goyaesque solution. The character of these Sertian balconies has a lot of innocent theatrical artifice, of puppet theater, which gives a certain note of irony that cures all pedantic intonation. Thus, graceful, almost magazine style, without a hint of megalomania, the balconies of this dining room smile, with clear and varied intonations, on a gray background. Their immediate precedent is undoubtedly the balconies of the Buenos Aires roof of the swings, in the palace of Pereda, where, as here, the balcony is combined with the note of colored fabrics and a certain allusion to folkloric clothing". Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned a large mural decoration for the cathedral of Vic, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he created sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly).
Setdart Auction House
Nov. 05, 2025
Articulated mannequin from an artist's studio. Possibly France, early 20th century
Est: €675 - €900
Based on oral family tradition, it is believed to have been the property of the painter Felipe Vall (1916-2012) and inherited from his teacher Jose Maria Sert (1874-1945). Measurements: 56 cm. Height.
Ansorena
Oct. 29, 2025
Attributed to Jose Maria Sert Y Badia (1874-1945): Battle Scene in the Middle East
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Oil on canvas, signed 'JM Sert' lower left, lined. 16 x 20 in., 25 x 29 in. (frame).
STAIR
Oct. 16, 2025
JOSÉ MARIA SERT BADIA. Allegory.
Est: €14,000 - €15,000
Gold leaf and oil on canvas stuck to wood. First third of the 20th Century. 170x149 cm.
Balclis
Sep. 30, 2025
ATTRIBUTED TO JOSE MARIA SERT Y BADIA Barcelona (1900) / (1945) "Sketch for Hell"
Est: €5,250 - €7,000
Oil on canvas. Measurements: 70 x 31 cm
Ansorena
Sep. 25, 2025
JOSEP MARIA SERT (BARCELONA, 1874–1945)
Est: €2,500 - €5,000
Josep Maria Sert (Barcelona, 1874–1945) “Anatomical Study of Leonard Manzini” Pencil and color drawing on paper. Signed. 30 x 20 cm. Sert sought to capture the expression of the body and the movement of clothing at a precise moment, using photography as a creative process. In many of these photographs, pencil marks can be seen indicating specific parts he wanted to highlight or frames that facilitated the development of the work. Our work is truly special, as we see the body transferred to paper with a magnificent anatomical treatment, precisely thanks to the technique of photographing beforehand by his assistant Leonard Manzini, in this case. While searching for information to catalog this work, we found a link, which we include in the bibliography, to a news item on Barcelona's Betevé channel. The video images show one of the photographs taken of Manzini that corresponds exactly to our drawing. We recommend watching the video. Between February and May 2022, the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián held the exhibition “Josep M. Sert. The photographic archive of the model,” which had already been exhibited in 2011 at the Centre d'Arts Santa Mònica in Barcelona. As we read on the San Telmo Museum website on the occasion of the aforementioned exhibition: "Josep Maria Sert developed his artistic career entirely in Paris. In 1921, he had a workshop built to his own design, to which few people had access and where he carried out an enormous amount of work using a surprising and unusual method that is now revealed to us in this exhibition. “The Model Archive” shows us a small part of his photographic archive, which belongs to Leonard Mancini who, in addition to being his assistant in the photographic laboratory, in the carpentry workshop, and in the preparation of backgrounds and finishes for paintings, served as his photographic model for the studies of his monumental works. Through these photographic studies, we can contemplate and gauge the creative process that explains the definitive and systematic method that allowed the painter to formulate his Sertian corpus" Reference bibliography: - Gutiérrez, Silvia. (6 June 2011). "L’Arts Santa Mònica exhibeix el mètode de treball de Josep Maria Sert". Betevé. https://beteve.cat/cultura/larts-santa-monica-exhibeix-el-metode-de-treball-de-josep-maria-sert/ - San Telmo Museoa. (n.d.). "Josep M. Sert. El archivo fotográfico del modelo" https://share.google/8Sc6gDBhFD6UXMSG6
La Suite Subastas
Sep. 18, 2025
Jose Maria Sert (1874-1945): Procession
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Oil on paper mounted on canvas, unsigned, lined. 12 x 27 3/4 in., 17 1/2 x 33 in. (frame).
STAIR
Jun. 18, 2025
JOSEP MARIA SERT (1874-1945)
Est: €8,000 - €10,000
JOSEP MARIA SERT (1874-1945) SANS TITRE Huile sur panneau Oil on panel 116 X 186 CM • 45 5/8 X 73 1/4 IN.
Tajan
Jun. 18, 2025
JOSEP MARIA SERT (1874-1945)
Est: €10,000 - €15,000
JOSEP MARIA SERT (1874-1945) SANS TITRE Huile sur panneau Oil on panel 116 X 186 CM • 45 5/8 X 73 1/4 IN
Tajan
May. 20, 2025
José María Sert - Design for "Goyescas". Paquiro's cape. Act I
Est: -
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT Barcelona 1874-1945 Design for Goyescas. Paquiro cape. Act I. c. 1937 Gouache on paper Titled Measurements 36.5 x 23 cm We would like to thank Pilar Sáez Lacave for her help in cataloging this work. PROVENANCE Collection of Raúl Roviralta Astoul, 1st Marquis of Roviralta, and by descent to its current owners.
Subastas Segre
May. 20, 2025
José María Sert - Design for "Goyescas"
Est: -
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT Barcelona 1874-1945 Design for Goyescas. c. 1937 Gouache on paper Measurements 37 x 43 cm We would like to thank Pilar Sáez Lacave for her help in cataloging this work. PROVENANCE Collection of Raúl Roviralta Astoul, 1st Marquis of Roviralta, and by descent to its current owners. Enric Granados composed the opera "Goyescas" in 1915, with a libretto in Spanish by Fernando Periquet, and it premiered in 1916 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. These two drawings were commissioned by La Scala in Milan to José María Sert, who designed the costumes for the work, as well as the sets for its performance in 1938.
Subastas Segre
May. 14, 2025
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "San Antonio y Santa Gertrudis". Study for the decoration of the cathedral of Vic
Est: €7,500 - €8,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "San Antonio y Santa Gertrudis". Study for the decoration of the cathedral of Vic. Oil and collage (leather) on canvas. Wooden frame with wear, scratches and some flaws Work exhibited in "José María Sert, 40 works, 1910-1943", Emeric Hahn gallery, Paris, 2017. Measurements: 98 x 139 cm; 112 x 152 cm (frame). Although Josep Maria Sert would receive incessant major commissions, the work that was most present throughout his life was the decoration of Vic Cathedral. Sert worked arduously on the task, even making several studies of the same subject, so many sketches on paper abound. In "Saint Anthony and Saint Gertrude", the bodies take relief thanks to an excellent grisaille work. Sert received the commissions around 1900, but they were interrupted by the First World War, so he took them up again, suppressing the color and rethinking the perspectives to obtain depth. The mural painting of the cathedral as a whole was completed in 1929, but only seven years later it was destroyed. Shocked, Sert accepted the restoration of the cathedral, based on a set of bas-reliefs that would not be completed until the year of his death. José María Sert was one of the most quoted and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. Heir to the Catalan Renaixença and modernist training, he developed a pictorial style outside the stylistic currents of his time. These characteristics make him a renovator of mural painting and a prolific artist who painted more than seven thousand square meters of cathedrals, palaces, great halls, private residences and city halls of various cities. Maria Sert was one of the most quoted and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he finished the main part of the decoration of the cathedral, which will be completed with the realization of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Apr. 10, 2025
JOSEP MARIA SERT (1874/76-1945). "Martyrdom of the Apostle Saint Bartholomew", preparatory work for the fresco in the Cathedral of Vic.
Est: €5,000 - €10,000
Oil, varnish and gilding on canvas. The canvas looks as if it has been cut, as the paint reaches the edges. 51 x 64 cm; 75 x 88.5 cm (frame).
Subarna Subastas
Mar. 19, 2025
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "San Antonio y Santa Gertrudis".
Est: €8,000 - €9,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "San Antonio y Santa Gertrudis". Study for the decoration of the cathedral of Vic. Oil and collage (leather) on canvas. Wooden frame with wear, scratches and some flaws Work exhibited in "José María Sert, 40 works, 1910-1943", Emeric Hahn gallery, Paris, 2017. Measurements: 98 x 139 cm; 112 x 152 cm (frame). Although Josep Maria Sert would receive incessant major commissions, the work that was most present throughout his life was the decoration of Vic Cathedral. Sert worked arduously on the task, even making several studies of the same subject, so many sketches on paper abound. In "Saint Anthony and Saint Gertrude", the bodies take relief thanks to an excellent grisaille work. Sert received the commissions around 1900, but they were interrupted by the First World War, so he took them up again, suppressing the color and rethinking the perspectives to obtain depth. The mural painting of the cathedral as a whole was completed in 1929, but only seven years later it was destroyed. Shocked, Sert accepted the restoration of the cathedral, based on a set of bas-reliefs that would not be completed until the year of his death. José María Sert was one of the most quoted and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. Heir to the Catalan Renaixença and modernist training, he developed a pictorial style outside the stylistic currents of his time. These characteristics make him a renovator of mural painting and a prolific artist who painted more than seven thousand square meters of cathedrals, palaces, great halls, private residences and city halls of various cities. Maria Sert was one of the most quoted and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he finished the main part of the decoration of the cathedral, which will be completed with the realization of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Nov. 28, 2024
JOSEP MARIA SERT (1874/76-1945). "Las aventuras de Simbad el marino", circa 1924.
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
A catalogue of the artist published the same sketch he made of this work, which is kept in Mr. Joshue S. Cosden's music room in his collection in Palm Beach. Literature: Dr. A. Puigvert Collection, ‘JOSE MARIA SERT’, 1986, Catálogo Exposición Barcelona, Caja de Barcelona. P. 31. 68.5 x 61 cm; 94 x 86.5 cm (frame).
Subarna Subastas
Jul. 11, 2024
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblo de libertad" and "Pueblo de comerciantes", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel.
Est: €7,000 - €9,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblo de libertad" and "Pueblo de comerciantes", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel. The definitive panels published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, pp. 215 and 218. Measurements: 74.5 x 53.5 cm. This canvas presents two scenes. On the one hand, "People of Freedom", which shows the Guernica Tree, symbol of the freedoms of Vasconia, which rises with its dry branches in front of the peristyle of the Casa de las Juntas. Alberto del Castillo states that "the figure of Liberty flies through the air, centring a sparkling aureole which the rays of glory furrow". At the foot of the old oak tree, a large open book symbolises the Charter of Bizkaia; on the other hand, "Pueblo de comerciantes" represents the scene dedicated to the Real Compañía Guipuzkoana de Caracas, an entity that gave the province an unusual economic boom throughout the 17th century. This work exalts the Basques as a people of merchants. Both compositions were painted for the decoration of the great hall of the Museum of the former convent of San Telmo in San Sebastián, one of the most colourful decorations of the painter's life. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc. In 1908 he decorated the Sala dels Pasos Perdus at the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Jul. 11, 2024
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT BADIA (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled, sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. It presents xylophages in the frame.
Est: €4,000 - €5,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT BADIA (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled, sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. Presents xylophages in the frame. Size: 42 x 53 cm; 44 x 55 cm (frame). The work presented here is an oil on panel sketch that Sert made in 1913 as part of the decoration project for the London residence of Sir Saxton Noble, known as Kent House. The paintings were intended for the ornamentation of two adjoining rooms separated by an Ionic-style colonnade, one used as a music room and the other as a ballroom. According to the book "José María Sert: His Life and Work", by Alberto del Castillo, this work would have decorated the fireplace room (which should correspond to the music room). He states that "the decoration of the adjoining room, the fireplace room, is like a journey to a dreamland". He continues: "The panel on the right - which would correspond to the final work of the work under tender - represents a fantastic port of the Orient, evoking Parnassian poetry. A foreground with coloured brick paving, a canal full of boats in the background, this is a Venetian theme in the style of Bellini or Carpaccio, which Tiepolo still followed in his Embarkation of Cleopatra". Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, he was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, painting important murals such as those in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid and the Council Chamber of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterised by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by orientalism and Goya's expressionism, with a chromaticism almost exclusively based on gold and sepia tones.
Setdart Auction House
Jun. 11, 2024
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Alegoría".1935-1845. Sketch of decoration for a theatre. Black and coloured pencil on paper, adhered to canvas.
Est: €3,000 - €3,500
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Alegoría".1935-1845. Sketch of decoration for a theatre. Black and coloured pencil on paper, adhered to canvas. Bibliography: Alberto Del Castillo, "José Mª Sert, his life and work". Barcelona, 1947. p. 253, fig. 93. There are some flaws in the painting. Measurements: 64 x 67 cm; 66 x 69 cm (frame). This sketch for theatre decoration reveals Sert's scenographic skills, as well as his fertile inventiveness in developing rich allegories containing interwoven layers of meaning. In the 1930s, the period to which this sketch of a landscape with a pergola and fountain, animated by various figures, belongs, Sert had already made a name for himself as a mural painter after receiving important public and private commissions, including those for Vic Cathedral and the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly).
Setdart Auction House
Jun. 11, 2024
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT BADIA (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "The Great Triumph of Bacchus", sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel.
Est: €5,000 - €6,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT BADIA (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "The Great Triumph of Bacchus", sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. The final canvas is published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, plate 5. Size: 42 x 48 cm; 44 x 50 cm (frame). The work presented here is an oil on panel sketch that Sert made in 1913 as part of the project to decorate Sir Saxton Noble's London residence, known as Kent House. The paintings were intended for the ornamentation of two adjoining rooms separated by an Ionic-style colonnade, one used as a music room and the other as a ballroom. According to the book "José María Sert: His Life and Work" by Alberto del Castillo, this work, entitled "The Great Triumph of Bacchus", marks a change in the artist's oeuvre, as he stopped painting backgrounds inspired by Mediterranean culture in favour of decorations inspired by a more central European Germanic atmosphere. In fact, this canvas features a Greek background, inspired by the temple of the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, he was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, painting important murals such as those in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid and the Council Chamber of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterised by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by orientalism and Goya's expressionism, with a chromaticism almost exclusively based on gold and sepia tones.
Setdart Auction House
Jun. 11, 2024
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled, sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. The final canvas is published in "José María Sert.
Est: €5,000 - €6,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled, sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. The final canvas is published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, plate 7. It has xylophages. Measurements: 42,5 x 51 cm. In 1913, Sert painted the decoration of two adjoining rooms (the ballroom and the music room) in the residence of Sir Saxton Noble, in Kent House, London. In the first of these rooms, also known as the Hall of the Bocranes, the artist depicted two large scenes, one of them dedicated to the Triumph of Bacchus. The other composition, located on the opposite wall, has notable compositional and conceptual coincidences with the present work, such that it is fully justified to consider it as a preliminary study for this decorative ensemble. Thus, while the one in the Kent palace shows a violinist at the top of a flight of stairs, ours, of a more sketchy nature, features undiscernible figures. In both pieces, however, there are present bearers, exotic animals and centaurs, while singing putti ascend to the throne. Alberto del Castillo states that "the fundamental iconographic idea of this composition is the participation of the elephants in the triumph, an oriental motif that entered Europe through Venice, like so many other orientalisms". Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, painting important murals such as those in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid and the Council Chamber of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterised by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by Goya's Orientalism and Expressionism.
Setdart Auction House
May. 23, 2024
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "The Ascension. Oil on panel.
Est: €2,400 - €2,800
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "The Ascension. Oil on panel. Measurements: 60 x 48 cm; 73 x 64 cm (frame). Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Artistic Circle of Sant Lluc. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, before a great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Mar. 12, 2024
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "St. Thomas Aquinas", c.1926. Oil on panel. Sketch for the first decoration of the cathedral of Vic, destroyed in July 1936.
Est: €4,000 - €5,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "St. Thomas Aquinas", c.1926. Oil on panel. Sketch for the first decoration of the cathedral of Vic, destroyed in July 1936. Measurements: 100 x 140 cm; 115 x 155 cm (frame). Although Josep Maria Sert would receive incessant important commissions, the work that was most present throughout his life was the decoration of the Cathedral of Vic. Sert received the commissions around 1900, but they were interrupted by the First World War, so he resumed them by suppressing color and rethinking the perspectives to obtain depth. The mural painting of the cathedral as a whole was completed in 1929, but only seven years later it was destroyed. Shocked, Sert accepted the restoration of the cathedral, based on a set of bas-reliefs that would not be completed until the year of his death. José María Sert was one of the most quoted and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. Heir to the Catalan Renaixença and modernist training, he developed a pictorial style outside the stylistic currents of his time. These characteristics make him a renovator of mural painting and a prolific artist who painted more than seven thousand square meters of cathedrals, palaces, great halls, private residences and city halls in various cities. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented at the Salon d'Automne in Paris the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He made new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and protector Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was named a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 24, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT - Study of figures
Est: -
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT Barcelona 1874-1945 Study of figures. 1908-10 Charcoal and clarion drawing Measurements 103 x 65 cm BIBLIOGRAPHY "It is effectively a drawing by Sert that I would date around 1908-10, due to its proximity to others that We know about those dates and from the work he did in those years. In the group he made for Alella, The Triumph of Love, "Love and Youth" are represented by a man and a woman who take a very similar attitude but in reverse (the woman on the left), we can see the image in Del Castillo's book, plate 2. The MNAC has a couple of drawings that resemble this technique and which are dated around that date. In the catalog of the Petit Palais exhibition (2012) one of them appears published (p.80), they also recall those in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay that were also exhibited in Paris (p. 83)". Mrs. PIlar Sáenz Lacave.
Subastas Segre
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pergola".1935-1845. Sketch of decoration for a theatre. Black and coloured pencil on paper, glued to canvas.
Est: €4,000 - €4,500
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pergola".1935-1845. Sketch of decoration for a theatre. Black and coloured pencil on paper, glued to canvas. A very similar work is published in: Alberto Del Castillo, "José Mª Sert, his life and work". Barcelona, 1947. p. 253, fig. 93. Sizes: 72 x 74 cm; 74 x 76 cm (frame). This sketch for theatre decoration reveals Sert's scenographic talents, as well as his fertile inventiveness in developing landscapes in which the myth developing landscapes in which myth and everyday life are interwoven, in which the natural and the supernatural are laminated. In the 1930s, the period to which this sketch of a landscape with a pergola and fountain, animated by various figures, belongs, Sert had already made a name for himself as a mural painter after receiving important public and private commissions, including those for Vic Cathedral and the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly).
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblo de Santos", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel (gilt and red).
Est: €7,000 - €9,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblo de Santos", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel (gilt and red). The definitive panels published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, pp. 215 and 218. Measurements: 50 x 70 cm; 74 x 93 cm (frame). In this study of mural painting destined for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum, Saint Ignatius of Loyola is depicted writing the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus at the dictation of Christ, who, with an unnailed hand, advises him from the cross. In 1930 the San Sebastián City Council commissioned José María Sert, on the recommendation of the painter Ignacio Zuloaga, to paint eleven canvases for the church of the convent of San Telmo, a Renaissance building that the municipal corporation had acquired twenty years earlier with the intention of converting it into a museum. Pueblo de Santos" was located above the arches of the main nave, next to "Pueblo de Sabios" and "Pueblo de Leyendas". Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, painting important murals such as those in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid and the Council Chamber of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterised by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by Goya's Orientalism and Expressionism.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblo de Sabios", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel (gilt and red).
Est: €7,000 - €9,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblo de Sabios", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel (gilt and red). The definitive panels published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, pp. 215 and 218. Measurements: 50 x 70 cm; 74 x 93 cm (frame). In this composition study destined for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum, the Knights of Azkoitia, constituted as the Bascongada Society of Friends of the Country, were represented receiving the visit of a wise foreign chemist. In 1930 the San Sebastián City Council commissioned José María Sert, on the recommendation of the painter Ignacio Zuloaga, to paint eleven canvases for the church of the convent of San Telmo, a Renaissance building that the municipal corporation had acquired twenty years earlier with the intention of converting it into a museum. Pueblo de Sabios" was located above the arches of the main nave, together with "Pueblo de Santos" and "Pueblo de Herreros" (Town of Saints and Town of Blacksmiths). The wise men referred to one of the first scientific institutions of the Enlightenment on the peninsula: the Royal Basque Society of the Marquis of Peñaflorida. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, painting important murals such as those in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid and the Council Chamber of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterised by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by Goya's Orientalism and Expressionism.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT BADIA (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled, sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. It presents xylophages in the frame.
Est: €5,000 - €6,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT BADIA (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled, sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. Presents xylophages in the frame. Size: 42 x 53 cm; 44 x 55 cm (frame). The work presented here is an oil on panel sketch that Sert made in 1913 as part of the decoration project for the London residence of Sir Saxton Noble, known as Kent House. The paintings were intended for the ornamentation of two adjoining rooms separated by an Ionic-style colonnade, one used as a music room and the other as a ballroom. According to the book "José María Sert: His Life and Work", by Alberto del Castillo, this work would have decorated the fireplace room (which should correspond to the music room). He states that "the decoration of the adjoining room, the fireplace room, is like a journey to a dreamland". He continues: "The panel on the right - which would correspond to the final work of the work under tender - represents a fantastic port of the Orient, evoking Parnassian poetry. A foreground with coloured brick paving, a canal full of boats in the background, this is a Venetian theme in the style of Bellini or Carpaccio, which Tiepolo still followed in his Embarkation of Cleopatra". Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, he was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, painting important murals such as those in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid and the Council Chamber of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterised by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by orientalism and Goya's expressionism, with a chromaticism almost exclusively based on gold and sepia tones.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Sketch for "The Four Evangelists, Saint Peter and Saint Paul", 1927. Oil on panel.
Est: €15,000 - €18,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Sketch for "The Four Evangelists, Saint Peter and Saint Paul", 1927. Oil on panel. Study for the back of the apse of Vic Cathedral, destroyed in July 1936. Attached to the back is the label of the exhibition: "San Pablo en el Arte", Ministry of General Education of Fine Arts. Casón del Buen Retiro, Madrid (1964). Measurements: 119 x 169 cm; 121 x 172 cm (frame). Although Josep Maria Sert was to receive numerous major commissions, the work that was most present throughout his life was the decoration of Vic Cathedral. Sert worked arduously on the task, producing several studies of the same subject, which is why there are so many sketches. In this monumental study for the apse, the four evangelists appear with the tetramorph (the eagle of Saint John, the ox of Saint Luke, the lion of Mark and the angel with Matthew). The sculptural bodies and the red curtain give the subject a great scenographic charge, in which St. Paul and St. Peter are also evoked. Set received the commissions around 1900, but they were interrupted by the First World War and he resumed them, eliminating colour and rethinking the perspectives in order to achieve depth. The mural painting of the cathedral as a whole was completed in 1929, but only seven years later it was destroyed. Shocked, Sert accepted the restoration of the cathedral on the basis of a set of bas-reliefs which he did not complete until the year of his death.José María Sert was one of the most sought-after and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. Heir to the Catalan Renaixença and trained as a modernist, he developed a pictorial style outside the stylistic trends of his time. These characteristics make him a renovator of mural painting and a prolific artist who painted more than seven thousand square metres of cathedrals, palaces, great halls, private residences and town halls in various cities. María Sert was one of the most sought-after and controversial painters of his time and one of the best Spanish muralists. Heir to the Catalan Renaixença and trained as a modernist, he developed a pictorial style outside the stylistic trends of his time. These characteristics make him a renovator of mural painting and a prolific artist who painted more than seven thousand square metres of cathedrals, palaces, great halls, private residences and town halls in various cities, but without doubt the work that was most present throughout his life was the decoration of Vic Cathedral. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc. In 1908 he decorated the Sala dels Pasos Perdus at the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled, sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel.
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). Untitled, sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. The final canvas is published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, plate 7. It has xylophages. Measurements: 42,5 x 51 cm. In 1913, Sert painted the decoration of two adjoining rooms (the ballroom and the music room) in the residence of Sir Saxton Noble, in Kent House, London. In the first of these rooms, also known as the Hall of the Bocranes, the artist depicted two large scenes, one of them dedicated to the Triumph of Bacchus. The other composition, located on the opposite wall, has notable compositional and conceptual coincidences with the present work, such that it is fully justified to consider it as a preliminary study for this decorative ensemble. Thus, while the one in the Kent palace shows a violinist at the top of a flight of stairs, ours, of a more sketchy nature, features undiscernible figures. In both pieces, however, there are present bearers, exotic animals and centaurs, while singing putti ascend to the throne. Alberto del Castillo states that "the fundamental iconographic idea of this composition is the participation of the elephants in the triumph, an oriental motif that entered Europe through Venice, like so many other orientalisms". Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, painting important murals such as those in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid and the Council Chamber of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterised by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by Goya's Orientalism and Expressionism.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT BADIA (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "The Great Triumph of Bacchus", sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel.
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT BADIA (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "The Great Triumph of Bacchus", sketch for the Salon of the Bucraneans at Kent House, London, 1913. Oil on panel. The final canvas is published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, plate 5. Size: 42 x 48 cm; 44 x 50 cm (frame). The work presented here is an oil on panel sketch that Sert made in 1913 as part of the project to decorate Sir Saxton Noble's London residence, known as Kent House. The paintings were intended for the ornamentation of two adjoining rooms separated by an Ionic-style colonnade, one used as a music room and the other as a ballroom. According to the book "José María Sert: His Life and Work" by Alberto del Castillo, this work, entitled "The Great Triumph of Bacchus", marks a change in the artist's oeuvre, as he stopped painting backgrounds inspired by Mediterranean culture in favour of decorations inspired by a more central European Germanic atmosphere. In fact, this canvas features a Greek background, inspired by the temple of the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, he was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery. In 1920 he married Maria Godebska, "Misia", a muse of the Parisian artistic scene, in Paris. He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, painting important murals such as those in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the chapel of the Palacio de Liria in Madrid and the Council Chamber of the League of Nations in Geneva. He was the most eminent decorative painter of his time, and his style was characterised by a great imagination at the service of a rhetorical language influenced by orientalism and Goya's expressionism, with a chromaticism almost exclusively based on gold and sepia tones.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Heroic Defence of the Almogavars in a Tower", for the Salón de Crónicas, Barcelona City Hall, 1928. Oil on panel.
Est: €8,000 - €10,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Heroic Defence of the Almogavars in a Tower", for the Salón de Crónicas, Barcelona City Hall, 1928. Oil on panel. The final panel is published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, p. 175. Measurements: 63 x 98 cm. Alberto del Castillo states in his catalogue raisonné that the Hall of the Chronicles, so called because of the theme of its paintings, which allude to events narrated in the old Catalan chronicles, is a rectangular piece, in which the three interior walls, the five panels corresponding to the façade of the street of the city and the central octagon that forms the central part of the ceiling were intended for painting, this being the definitive piece in our sketch. The decoration of the ceiling was conceived as a false perspective which, in imitation of Correggio's great discovery, was developed by the Baroque, and is understood as an epic of the Catalans in the East. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc. In 1908 he decorated the Sala dels Pasos Perdus at the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Alegoría".1935-1845. Sketch of decoration for a theatre. Black and coloured pencil on paper, adhered to canvas.
Est: €3,000 - €3,500
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Alegoría".1935-1845. Sketch of decoration for a theatre. Black and coloured pencil on paper, adhered to canvas. Bibliography: Alberto Del Castillo, "José Mª Sert, his life and work". Barcelona, 1947. p. 253, fig. 93. There are some flaws in the painting. Measurements: 64 x 67 cm; 66 x 69 cm (frame). This sketch for theatre decoration reveals Sert's scenographic skills, as well as his fertile inventiveness in developing rich allegories containing interwoven layers of meaning. In the 1930s, the period to which this sketch of a landscape with a pergola and fountain, animated by various figures, belongs, Sert had already made a name for himself as a mural painter after receiving important public and private commissions, including those for Vic Cathedral and the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly).
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblo de libertad" and "Pueblo de comerciantes", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel.
Est: €8,000 - €10,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblo de libertad" and "Pueblo de comerciantes", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel. The definitive panels published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, pp. 215 and 218. Measurements: 74.5 x 53.5 cm. This canvas presents two scenes. On the one hand, "People of Freedom", which shows the Guernica Tree, symbol of the freedoms of Vasconia, which rises with its dry branches in front of the peristyle of the Casa de las Juntas. Alberto del Castillo states that "the figure of Liberty flies through the air, centring a sparkling aureole which the rays of glory furrow". At the foot of the old oak tree, a large open book symbolises the Charter of Bizkaia; on the other hand, "Pueblo de comerciantes" represents the scene dedicated to the Real Compañía Guipuzkoana de Caracas, an entity that gave the province an unusual economic boom throughout the 17th century. This work exalts the Basques as a people of merchants. Both compositions were painted for the decoration of the great hall of the Museum of the former convent of San Telmo in San Sebastián, one of the most colourful decorations of the painter's life. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc. In 1908 he decorated the Sala dels Pasos Perdus at the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Oct. 03, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblos de Fueros", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel.
Est: €10,000 - €12,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "Pueblos de Fueros", 1932-1934. Sketch for the auditorium of the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián. Oil on panel. The definitive panels published in "José María Sert. His life and work", Alberto del Castillo, pp. 215 and 218. Measurements: 72.5 x 74 cm; 90 x 91 cm (frame). In this sketch, the king of Castile, Alfonso VIII, is depicted swearing the oaths while the ecclesiastics ascend a stepped pyramid. This scene was to form part of an allegorical-historical ensemble about the Basque people as a "people of sailors, merchants, charters and fishermen", uniting the legendary with everyday life. The set was created to decorate the auditorium of the Museum of the former convent of San Telmo in San Sebastián, one of the most eye-catching decorations of the painter's life, and today considered one of the pictorial treasures of the capital of San Sebastián. Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly). He painted new murals for important houses in Park Lane (England), Buenos Aires, Palm Beach and Paris, and in 1926 he made, to great expectation, an exhibition of his works for the cathedral of Vic in the Jeu de Paume in Paris. In 1927, with the support of his friend and patron Francesc Cambó, he completed the main part of the cathedral's decoration, which was completed with the construction of the lunettes between 1928 and 1929. In 1930 he was made a member of the Academy of San Fernando, and in the following years he worked all over the world, creating important murals such as those at the Waldorf Astoria.
Setdart Auction House
Sep. 27, 2023
Elysium purifying the corrupt Waters, Italian school of the 17th century
Est: €7,000 - €8,000
Composition based on the biblical passage of the Old Testament, 2 Kings 19:22: "And the men of the city said to Elisha: Behold, the place where this city is located is good, as my lord sees; but the waters are and the land is barren." Then he said, "Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it." And they brought it to him. And going out to the springs of water, he poured the salt into it, and said, "Thus saith the Lord "I have healed these waters, and there shall be no more death or sickness in them. And the waters were healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke." Oil on canvas. Measurements without frame: 133 x 97 cm. Measurements framed: 153 x 117 cm.
Templum Fine Art Auctions
Sep. 19, 2023
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT - Sketch for Kavanagh Screen
Est: -
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT Barcelona 1874-1945 Sketch for Screen Kavanagh. c. 1938 Oil and gold leaf on canvas Measurements 60 x 70 cm We thank Ms. Pilar Sáez Lacave for her help in cataloging this work. BIBLIOGRAPHY José María Sert. Alberto del Castillo and Cirici Pellicer Ed. Argos, Barcelona 1947 (original work) Corina Kavanagh finances the construction of the building that will bear her name, raised between 1934-1936, it became the tallest and most emblematic building in all of Latin America. Entrusted to the architects Gregorio Sánchez, Ernesto Lagos and Luis María de la Torre, it was completed in record time for the time. Once built, the owner entrusted the decoration of the music room to José María Sert. The piece that concerns us, is therefore a sketch for this set, the artist designs a screen of enormous dimensions, 28 panels that reach almost 15 meters wide by 2.50 meters high.
Subastas Segre
Sep. 14, 2023
JOSE MARIA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "American Progress (Sketch for the Rockefeller Center Mural)" Oil on laid paper. It has two slight tears on the margin.
Est: €7,000 - €8,000
JOSÉ MARÍA SERT (Barcelona, 1874 - 1945). "American Progress (Sketch for the Rockefeller Center mural)". Oil on laid paper. It has two slight tears in the margin. Size: 32 x 64 cm; 63 x 90 cm (frame). The American Progress was one of the murals that Sert created for the decoration of the Rockefeller Center. John D. Rockefeller's initial idea was to create a centre whose nucleus should be an opera house, but, due to the "Great Depression", the project was reduced to a commercial and office complex. In order to make the building more attractive to potential tenants, the commission in charge of the decoration of the entire Rockefeller Center entrusted the murals in the grand foyer to the artists Franck Brangwyn, Diego Rivera, José María Sert and Pablo Picasso. It seems that the latter refused to submit a preliminary sketch and was therefore eliminated. Rockefeller's chosen theme for the murals was the dominance of man over modern civilisation, and the instructions to be followed were: The paintings were to be done in black, white and grey. This new humanism, which exalted the values of the past and encouraged the idea of progress paralysed by the crash of 1929, was consistent with Sert's modernist and noucentista postulates. He was entrusted with four canvases in which he was to express man's new dominion over the material world: his power, his will, his imagination and his genius. These four compositions are a prelude to those he was to produce a few years later for the League of Nations in Geneva. Both sets form part of his most important public works, and are what brought him international fame and status, making him one of the most important muralists of his time. In these works the artist expresses the march of mankind on earth, the perennial struggle and conflict of being human, the history of his efforts and his most spectacular achievements: industrial progress, the development of medicine, the homage to the anonymous victims of slavery and the enthusiasm for peace. Strength and power are emphasised by the grandiose phallic symbols of converging cannons, immense ruined columns, false idols, skyscrapers emerging from the clouds, cyclopean blocks and compact tumult. The apology for American progress, the personal plastic discourse, the grandiloquent symbolism, the interlinking of figures of different scales and the scenographic conception tinged with romanticism aroused such admiration among the public and patrons that in 1940 he was commissioned to paint five more murals, including the ceiling of the great hall. There he depicted Time in the form of three gigantic figures striding across the columns supporting the ceiling: Trained with Benito Mercadé and Pere Borrell, Sert was a member of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, and later a disciple of A. de Riquer. In 1900 Torras i Bages commissioned him to paint a large mural decoration for Vic Cathedral, of which he presented sketches and preparatory canvases in 1905 and 1907 in Barcelona and Paris, of which this piece is an example. Through his exhibitions abroad, he soon acquired extraordinary prestige among the French and English aristocracy, for whom he produced sumptuous decorations. In 1908 he decorated the Sala de los Pasos Perdidos of the Palace of Justice in Barcelona, and in 1910 he presented the mural decoration of the ballroom of the Marquis of Alella (Barcelona) at the Salon d'Automne in Paris and decorated the music room of the Princess of Polignac in Paris. Two years later he exhibited an important group of works at the Salon in the French capital. In the following years he worked for Queen Victoria Eugenia (Santander) and for Robert Rotschild (Chantilly), and had solo exhibitions in London at the Agnew Gallery.
Setdart Auction House
Mar. 29, 2023
JOSE MARIA SERT Y BADIA Barcelona (1900 / 1945) "Jesus among the doctors"
Est: €42,000 - €56,000
Mixed technique on canvas Signed on the lower left side Measurements: 125 x 200 cm
Ansorena