Alfredo Opisso

ALFREDO OPISSO CARDONA (Barcelona, 1907 - Mataró, Barcelona, 1980).
"Couple".
Charcoal on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Size: 18 x 13 cm; 35,5 x 31 cm (frame).
A painter and draughtsman, Alfredo Opisso was the son of Ricardo Opisso and nephew of Joan Cardona, who gave him his first painting lessons. He completed his training at the La Lonja School in Barcelona, and in 1921 he held his first exhibition in his native city, thanks to the support of the critic Joan Merli, who was also his main sponsor. Among his solo exhibitions was the one held at the Syra Galleries in Barcelona in 1935. In 1944 he won the National Prize for drawing at the Barcelona Biennial, and in 1958 the first Ynglada-Guillot drawing prize. He also took part in the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, presenting two circus scenes at the 1960 exhibition. In 1947 he settled permanently in Mataró, where he exhibited at the Tot Art gallery. He held numerous exhibitions until 1956, and after ten years of silence he resumed showing his work in 1967. He cultivated a painstaking and precious figuration, evocative of the Catalan modernist environment. As a draughtsman, his pencil portraits are particularly noteworthy, as are his numerous illustrations for books. His paintings also dealt with genre themes, scenes of customs and those evocative of the Barcelona of the time. Alfredo Opisso is currently represented in the Museo del Prado, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Barcelona, the Museo de l'Empordà in Figueras and the Museo de Valls, as well as in numerous private collections. He also has a square named after him in Mataró.