Castellet, Francisco Serra (1912-1976)

Francesc (Catalan for Francesco/Francisco) Serra Castellet spent his childhood and youth in Granollers. Although he occasionally attended the Escola Superior de Disseny i d’Arts Llotja art school in Barcelona, ​​he was more of an autodidact. He later joined the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc in Barcelona. At first he worked as a commissioned artist and portraitist in Granollers.

In 1933 he presented his first solo exhibition at the Sala Pares gallery in Barcelona. Other exhibitions followed in various galleries, most notably in the Sala Gaspar. He also participated in group exhibitions, art competitions and salons. He won several prizes, such as the Silver Medal of the National Art of Madrid in 1943, the Silver Medal of the Sant Jordi Competition in 1951 and the Gold Medal in the same event in 1953.

The theme of his work was primarily the female figure. But there is also a series of drawings of cityscapes from Paris. Serra was an admirer of Degas and this is reflected in his paintings. Francesc Serra’s works are exhibited at the AMYC Foundation Museum in Madrid, the Museu d’Art de Sabadell in Barcelona, ​​the Museu Municipal de Tossa de Mar and the Museum Deu in El Vendrell, among others. His works are also included in public and private collections such as the Lingenauber Collection in Monaco, the MAPFRE Foundation and others.

A series of portraits of fellow artists, taken between 1902 and 1915, is best known from his photographic work. In 2015 there was an exhibition of his photographs at the Museum Palau Solterra, Torroella de Montgrí.