Francesco Filosa (1910-1990) - Natura Morta

Delicious still life by the Neapolitan artist Francesco Filosa of Castellammare di Stabia. The work is oil on canvas and measures 40x50 cm (the canvas’ exact dimensions). Equipped with an elegant frame that will be offered as a gift to the eventual purchaser.
Francesco Filosa was born in Castellammare di Stabia on October 20, 1910, into an ancient family of painters and decorators. After his early experiences, developed together with his father, he opened up to the artistic forms of the twentieth century. His first participation in union-based exhibitions dates back to the mid-1930s, where, in addition to the already established Viti, Volpe, Pratella, Crisconio, and Irollo, he had the chance to meet and associate with young artists of the caliber of Galante, Casciaro, Striccoli, Brancaccio, Ciardo, Buono, and Bresciani.
While continuing his work as a decorator in the various churches of Castellammare and the Sorrento Peninsula, Francesco Filosa sharpened his painting skills thanks to the guidance of Carlo Striccoli and Francesco Galante. At the end of the last World War, his artistic life took a decisive turn: he abandoned the family business and dedicated himself entirely to painting. From 1950 he was consistently present at all the events of the Promotrice Salvator Rosa and began to participate in exhibitions and group shows. Noticed by critics and art lovers, in 1966 he was first invited to the Rome Quadriennale and then to the European one in London, where he was awarded the Silver Seal. Among his most significant participations are the Exhibition of Neapolitan and Roman artists at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (1968), the Southern Italy Art Show, the eleventh Exhibition of Southern Artists at the Palazzo Fazzari in Catanzaro, the first Naples ’68 painting exhibition at Galleria San Petronio in Bologna, and finally his solo show at Beato Angelico in Rome. From 1970 he took part in the Rome “European Art” Exhibition, where in 1971 he was awarded the World Seal, at the Exhibition “Artists of the South” in Messina, at the Naples Painting Show at Palazzo Antinori in Florence, at the Michelangiolesque Celebrations of Castellammare di Stabia, at the national Painting Prize 14 of Castellammare, at the group exhibition “Napoli presente” in Diano Marino in the province of Imperia, at the Sant’Agata dei Golfi Prize, at the itinerant exhibition “Esempi d’arte contemporanea” in Messina, Mazzaro del Vallo, Taormina, Acireale and Palermo, at the Exhibition of art of the “International Meetings of Cinema” in Sorrento, at the tenth national painting show at the Napoli International Auto Show, at the Manzoni Gallery in Milan in 1975, at the Montecarlo European Biennale, and at the “Villa Lumière” Prize at the UNESCO Palace in Paris in 1977. In 1979 a retrospective was staged at the Lo Zahir Art Center in Naples. In 1983 he was awarded the Gold Medal as winner of the San Marino European Culture Prize. His first solo show, held in Castellammare di Stabia, dates to 1934. Throughout his long and arduous career he consistently earned wide critical and public acclaim. His painting was always a subject of analysis by militant critics and art scholars, earning profiles and articles in specialized magazines and newspapers. Among those who wrote about him are Barbieri, Schettini, Girace, Ortolani, Ricci, Barone, Attardi, Mormino, Di Bartolomeo, Pagano, Lenzi, Fucito, Ziino, Sorrentino, Calabrese, and Agrillo. His works are found in numerous public and private collections both in Italy and abroad, particularly in the United States, Australia, England, France, and Germany, where, during his imprisonment in the course of the last World War, he had the opportunity to be appreciated as a decorator and painter. Francesco Filosa died in Castellammare di Stabia on January 19, 1990. (from liberoricercatore.it)