Object Description
Mario Miguel Mollari, “Mujer con granos”, oil on canvas depicting two women seated, with baskets on their laps, the one in the foreground wearing a yellow blouse and patterned purple skirt holding deep blackish-purple aubergines and the other, further back, with mauve sleeves holding a basket of corn, the palette is predominantly rich purples, yellows, browns and black. Signed upper right, “Mollari.” With a photocopy of the original bill of sale and certificate of authenticity signed ‘Mario Mollari’ dated 1969. Argentinian, circa 1969.
Contemporary Latin American artist Mario Mollari was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1930. He had no formal training in the arts, but his travels and curiosity allowed him to develop a deep understanding of Mexican muralists on the one hand and European modernists on the other.
During the 1950s, Mollari focussed on local native peoples, who became some of the most important influences on his art. Throughout his work these natives are frequently presented as stoic figures, their anguish, exhaustion and exploitation eloquently portrayed through a few striking but complimentary colours employed in bold blocks. Mollari began exhibiting with Ricardo Carpani and Juan Manuel Sanchez which formed the basis for the ‘Spartacus Movement’(Grupo Espartaco).
Mollari died at the age of 80, leaving behind a remarkable legacy – his works feature in many important private collections and are displayed to the public in museums in Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, Santa Fe, Tres Arroyos, and the Latin American Institute of Austria, to name only a few.
Provenance
Kromos Gallery, Argentina