Ercole Magrotti (1890-1967) Italian, Oil on Canvas Mounted on Board. Depicts a rundown alleyway in an Italian village, with a woman sitting outside her home. Signed bottom right. 

Overall: 18 1/2 X 14 1/2 in. 

Sight: 15 1/4 X 11 1/4 in. 

#3872 . 

Ercole Magrotti was born in 1890 in Milan, Italy. The son of a traveling merchant, he was evidently self-taught, picking up painting in his youth along with a variety of activities that piqued his interests. He traveled and painted extensively from nature throughout his career, first accompanying his father on his business trips and then on his own in his late teens. He eventually became well-known primarily for his marine and coastal scenes, capturing the lifestyle of the many fishing and lakeside village scenes, especially those in Northern Italy. He also painted rural mountain homesteads and valley village scenes, as well as cityscapes, Venetian canals, and still lifes. His first successful showing was at a group exhibition held by the Amici dell’arte di Varese (Friends of Art of Varese) in 1921, which led him to numerous solo and group shows throughout Italy and France. He lived in several places, rarely putting down permanent roots, as he sought always new scenery and inspirations: his works are stunning time capsules of early 20th Century life in Italy, particularly in Busto, Padua, Gallarate, Lombardy, Busto Arsizio, Varese, and Rome. He avoided service during both World War I and II, and moved to Rome after Italy was freed from the Germans in 1945. He maintained a full-time studio and resided there until his death in 1967. He sold countless pieces during his lifetime, often with the paint still drying on them, using the money to fund his constant traveling. His artwork was exhibited at the newly founded New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City in 1977, as well as a retrospective exhibition of his work which was held in Gallarate, Italy in 1984.