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Orovida Pissarro An Online Exhibition at Stern Pissarro Gallery
Introduction
Born in Epping in 1893, Orovida Pissarro was the first and only daughter of Lucien Pissarro, the eldest of Camille Pissarro’s five sons. Raised in an artistic milieu, it is no surprise that Orovida aspired to become an artist. Indeed, her creative potential was recognised by her grandfather who on 4th December 1898, wrote to Lucien, ‘Here is still another potential artist…Her drawings are already full of sentiment, elegance, waywardness.’ After a period studying under the British PostImpressionist Walter Sickert in 1913, Orovida decided to continue her studies with her father Lucien.
As the first professional female artist in the Pissarro family, Orovida was torn between conforming to her family’s commitment to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism and developing her own unique pictorial language. She made a definitive break with the Impressionist style she had been taught, and instead developed her own unique style which combined elements of Japanese, Chinese, Persian and Indian art. Coinciding with her rejection of Impressionism was her decision to drop her family name and simply use Orovida as a nom de peintre, reflecting her desire for independence. Today, her work is represented in many public collections across the UK and USA, including the Manchester Art Gallery, Portsmouth Museum, British Museum, Royal Academy of Arts, Cleveland Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the San Diego Museum of Art. Her work is perhaps most visible at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, which houses the Pissarro Family Archive. Her work was also featured in several gallery and museum exhibitions dedicated to four generations of Pissarro artists in the UK, USA and Japan. For those looking to build their art collection, Orovida’s work offers a perfect entry point. Her talent manifests itself in the diverse range of media she used, solidifying Camille Pissarro’s early predication that she would make a remarkable artist.
Early Paintings
1920 - 1939
Orovida’s first series of imaginative works, executed in the 1920s and 30s, reflects her interest in non-Western art. This was largely fuelled by the fashion for Orientalism in fin-de-siècle France, but also by the works of Paul Gauguin and those of her uncle Georges Manzana Pissarro, particularly his solo show at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 1914. Orovida was struck by her uncle’s Orientalist and Decorative portraits and his use of gold and silver. The flattening of the picture plane and the increasingly stylised treatment of her subjects would also have been influenced by exhibitions which she frequented in London, including a presentation on Persian art at Burlington house in 1930-31 as well as her numerous trips to the British Museum. To Orovida, nonWestern art offered greater creative freedom, as she later wrote: ‘Western art has led straight to the photo and eastern art is still free.’ As a result, her early works often show subjects such as Mongolian horse-riders, African dancers, Persian princes and exotic animals executed in egg tempera and bodycolour which she made herself and applied in thin, delicate washes to silk, linen and paper sometimes embellished with brocade borders. Ironically, Orovida once famously stated in a newspaper interview that the furthest east she had ever travelled was the British Museum.
Dinka with a Bongo Egg tempera on linen, laid on board 85 x 62.3 cm (33 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1937
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Exhibition London, Redfern Gallery, Summer Salon, 5th August - 25th September 1937, no. 12 London, Royal Academy, 1966, no. 728 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 51, p. 56 (illustrated)
ÂŁ35,000
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A Ceremonial Dance Egg tempera on linen 100 x 140 cm (29 3/8 x 55 1/8 inches) Signed and dated upper left Orovida 1927 Exhibitions London, Women’s International Art Club, Suffolk Street Galleries, 1-21st October 1927, no. 141 London, Redfern Gallery, Paintings, Drawings & Etchings by Orovida, 19th May-12th June 1926, no. 40 London, Redfern Gallery, Orovida: Panels, Etchings, Drawings, Watercolours, 1st-31st May 1930, no. 5 Literature The Times, 3rd October 1927 The Sketch, 19th March 1930 (illustrated in colour) K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 24, p. 28 (illustrated in colour)
£150,000
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Migration Tempera on linen, laid on board 76 x 101 cm (29 7/8 x 39 3/4 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1934 Exhibitions Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, Orovida: 1893-1968, Memorial Exhibition, 4th-23rd February 1969, no. 260 London, The Leicester Galleries, Orovida, OctoberNovember 1973, no. 8 (titled The Horses) Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 49, p. 54 (illustrated)
ÂŁ18,500
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Siamese Cat and Kittens Egg tempera on linen 39 x 48 cm (15 3⁄8 x 18 7⁄8 inches) Signed lower right Orovida and dated lower left 1934 Exhibitions London, The Leicester Galleries, Paintings by Orovida, February 1935, no. 6 Women’s International Art Club, 20th February 13th March 1937, no. 273 London, Redfern Gallery, Ten Years of Work by Orovida, 5th-28th May 1938, no. 7 London, The Royal Society of British Artists, Summer Exhibition, 1947, no. 281 (possibly the etching) London, O’Hana Gallery, Paintings, Drawings and
Coloured Etchings: Orovida, 3rd-18th October 1957, no. 13 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and PrintMaker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 51, p. 56 (illustrated)
£16,000
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Dancing Girls Tempera on linen, laid down on board 64.5 x 54.5 cm (25 3/8 x 21 1/2 inches) Signed and dated upper right Orovida 1938 Exhibition London, Redfern Gallery, Ten Years of Work by Orovida, 5th-28th May 1938, no. 11 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 76 (illustrated)
ÂŁ9,800
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Western art has lead us straight to the photo and eastern art is still free Orovida Pissarro
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The Window Box Egg tempera on linen 66 x 93 cm (26 x 36 5/8 inches) Signed and dated upper left Orovida 1938 Exhibitions Women’s International Art Club, 11th-30th March 1940, no. 168 London, Royal Academy, 1967, no. 1189 Literature The Times, 7th October 1976 K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 80 (illustrated)
£11,500
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Winter (The Skaters) Egg tempera on linen 91.5 x 114.3 cm (36 x 45 inches) Signed and dated lower left Orovida 1936-38 Exhibitions London, Redfern Gallery, Ten Years of Work by Orovida, 5th-28th May 1938, no. 17 London, The Leicester Galleries, Orovida, OctoberNovember 1973, no. 13 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 77 (illustrated)
ÂŁ18,000
Paintings
1939 - 1968
During the 1940s, Orovida’s style underwent a dramatic shift. Rationing and pressures on food supplies during the Second World War meant that she could no longer mix her own egg tempera and therefore returned to oil painting. Accompanying her change in media, Orovida began to depict more traditional subjects, aligning her work more closely with that of her family. In this new, naturalistic style, she would depict everyday subjects and scenes of quotidian family life. Her treatment of oil paint in these works shows a significant departure from her earlier works in tempera and further illustrates her mastery of colour. After her father's death in 1944, Orovida's mother Esther donated a large part of the estate to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, which established the Pissarro Family Archive. Orovida was instrumental in developing the collection and mainted a close relationship with the museum. Despite ill health and the deterioration of her eyesight, Orovida continued to paint throughout the 1960s until her death in 1968. In 1969 the Ashmolean Museum presented a posthumous memorial exhibtion of her paintings, etchings and drawings.
Ice Cream Picnic Oil on board 101 x 76 cm (39 3⁄4 x 29 7⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower left Orovida 1953
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Exhibitions Royal Society of British Artists Galleries, Sixteen "One Man Shows", 10th September3rd October 1953, no. 181 Royal Society of British Artists, 13th September-8th October 1955, no. 339 Colchester, The Minories, 3rd-24th March 1962, no. 14 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 156 (illustrated)
ÂŁ12,000
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Migrating Horses Oil on canvas 71.1 x 81.4 cm (28 x 36 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1959
Exhibitions London, Royal Academy, 1960, no. 630 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 192 (illustrated)
ÂŁ11,500
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Exercising Ponies Oil on board 101.5 x 76 cm (40 x 30 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1954
Exhibitions London, Bowmore Gallery, Women in Art 1850-1989, 2nd-11th November 1989 Fort Lauderdale, Museum of Art, Camille Pissarro and his Descendants, JanuaryApril 2000, no.123 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 161 (illustrated)
ÂŁ14,000
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Children Playing Oil on canvas 90 x 105 cm (35 3/8 x 41 3/8 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1951
ÂŁ11,000
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Spring (Primrose Gathering) Oil on board 101.5 x 76.4 cm (40 x 30 inches) Signed and dated lower centre Orovida 1956
Exhibition London, O'Hana Gallery, Paintings, Drawings and Coloured Etchings: Orovida, 3rd-18th October 1957, no. 5 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, Oxford, 1992, (doctoral thesis), Appendices, no. 174 (illustrated)
ÂŁ12,000
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The Cattery Oil and pencil on canvas 61 x 51 cm (24 x 20 1⁄8 inches) Signed and dated upper right Orovida 1964 Exhibitions London, New Grafton Gallery, Orovida Pissarro and her Ancestors: Lucien & Camille, 21st September-19th October 1977, no. 21 (possibly; titled Cats) London, The Leicester Galleries, Paintings & Etchings by Orovida, 4th-27th February 1965, no. 46 (possibly) Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 212 (illustrated)
£7,500
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Cat and Mouse Oil on canvas 61 x 51 cm (24 x 20 1⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower centre Orovida 1948 Executed in 1948 and altered by the artist in 1966 Exhibitions London, The Leicester Galleries, Artists of Fame & Promise, Part I, July 1948, no. 157 Women’s International Art Club, 21st February-12th March 1949, no. 355 London, Redfern Gallery, Recent Paintings: Orovida, 3rd-26th January 1952, no. 57 Colchester, The Minories, 3rd-24th March 1962, no. 12 London, Royal Academy, 1966, no. 729 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 118 (illustrated)
£6,000
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Caterwaul Oil on canvas 51 x 61 cm (20 x 24 inches)
Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, Oxford, (doctoral thesis), 1992, Appendices, no. 211 (illustrated)
ÂŁ6,000
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Tom Cat Oil on canvas 51 x 61 cm (20 1/8 x 24 inches) Signed and dated lower left Orovida 1961
Exhibitions London, New Grafton Gallery, Orovida Pissarro and her Ancestors: Lucien & Camille, 21st September-19th October 1977, no. 25 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 201 (illustrated)
ÂŁ7,000
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Mowgli and Bagheera Oil on canvas 71 x 91 cm (28 x 35 7⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower left Orovida 1954 Exhibitions London, Royal Society of British Artists, 10th June-1st July 1960, no. 24 Colchester, The Minories, 3rd-24th March 1962, no. 92 London, The Leicester Galleries, Paintings & Etchings by Orovida, 4th-27th February 1965, no. 34 (possibly) Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 194 (illustrated)
£15,000
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Tiger Surprises Black Buck Oil on canvas 127 x 101.5 cm (50 x 40 inches) Signed and dated lower left Orovida 1960
Exhibitions London, Royal Academy, 1961, no. 534 London, Royal Society of British Artists, 3rd-25th November 1960, no. 82 (possibly; titled Tiger Entangled) Colchester, The Minories, 3rd24th March 1962
London, The Leicester Galleries, 1965, no. 37 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 195 (illustrated)
ÂŁ18,000
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The Monkey Killer Oil on canvas 76 x 101 cm (29 ⅞ x 39 ¾ inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1963
Exhibition London, The Leicester Galleries, February 1965, no.44 (illustrated) Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 208 (illustrated)
£15,000
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Father, Daughter and Horse Oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm (23 5⁄8 x 28 3⁄4 inches) Signed and dated lower centre Orovida 1947
£8,500
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The Fortune Teller Oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm (23 5⁄8 x 28 3⁄4 inches) Signed and dated upper right Orovida 1950
Exhibitions London, Royal Society of British Artists, Winter 1950, no. 374 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 139 (illustrated)
£8,500
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Nylons and Bric-a-Brac Oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm (28 3⁄4 x 23 5⁄8 inches) Signed and dated upper right Orovida 1951
Exhibitions London, Redfern Gallery, Recent Paintings: Orovida, 3rd-26th January 1952, no. 51 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 141 (illustrated)
£8,500
Watercolours
Pilgrims Watercolour and charcoal on paper 39 x 50.5 cm (15 3⁄8 x 19 ⅞ inches) Signed lower left with initials OGP Executed circa 1908
£2,000
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Trees in Yellow Landscape Watercolour on paper 18 x 25.7 cm (7 1⁄8 x 10 1⁄8 inches) Executed in 1917
£1,350
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Gazelles Watercolour, hand-coloured over an etching 27.5 x 17.5 cm (10 ⅞ x 6 ⅞ inches) Signed lower right Orovida
£1,600
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The Calf Watercolour, hand-coloured over an etching 17.5 x 23.2 cm (6 7⁄8 x 9 1⁄8 inches) Signed, titled and dated 1949
£1,750
Drawings
Landscape Pencil on paper 19.3 x 25.7 cm (7 1⁄8 x 10 1⁄8 inches) Executed circa 1917
£900
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Here is still another potential artist‌Her drawings are already full of sentiment, elegance, waywardness Camille Pissarro
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Landscape with Gate Pencil on paper 25.7 x 20.4 cm (10 1⁄8 x 8 inches) Executed circa 1917
£900
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A Study of Human Head and Tiger Pencil on paper 25.5 x 20 cm (10 x 7 7⁄8 inches) Executed circa 1917
£800
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Study of Large Wild Cat Head Pencil on paper 20 x 26 cm (7 7⁄8 x 10 1⁄4 inches) Executed circa 1917
£700
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Pouncing Tiger Pencil on paper 18.1 x 25.7 cm (7 1⁄8 x 10 1⁄8 inches) Executed circa 1917
£800
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Lioness in Profile Pencil on paper 20.3 x 27 cm (8 x 10 5⁄8 inches) Executed circa 1917
£750
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Crouching Tiger Pencil on paper 25.7 x 22.5 cm (10 1⁄8 x 8 7⁄8 inches) Executed circa 1917
£800
Printmaking As this catalogue illustrates, Orovida Pissarro was an innovator and independent spirit within the Modern British art movement. Although most of Orovida’s paintings are in private collections, a large number of her etchings are housed at the British Museum and in the Pissarro Family Archive at the Ashmolean Museum. Orovida explored a number of print-making methods including etching, engraving and lithography. An accomplished draughtsman, Orovida would observe animals firsthand at the London Zoo which led her depict the local people of the exotic countries they originally inhabited. Throughout her life it is recorded that she produced 8,000 impressions from 107 etched plates. The etching opposite depicts the 17th century bohemian Prince and inventor Rupert of the Rhine. Orovida developed a particular fascination with the elegant cavalier, portraits of whom she studied at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Orovida conducted important research into the history of mezzotinting and in 1950, concluded that Rupert of the Rhine was actually the inventor of the prototype for the tool and technique. Ever passionate about printmaking, Orovida had her own private collection of mezzotints, with a particular fondness for the work of Wallerant Vaillant. A catalogue of etchings and aquatints by Orovida was published by the Ashmolean Museum’s Department of Western Art in 1969 offering a comprehensive picture of her contributions to the medium.
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Rupert Rides Etching 31 x 23.5 cm (12 1⁄4 x 9 1⁄4 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1952 Inscribed final state 13/50 lower left and titled lower middle
£1,000
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Curves Etching 20.2 x 15 cm (8 x 5 7â „8 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1919 Inscribed lower left Trial proof no. 54 and titled lower middle
ÂŁ700
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The Nomads Etching 18 x 25 cm (7 1⁄8 x 9 7⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1925 Inscribed lower left Final state 32/42 and titled lower middle
£950
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Laying the Ghost Etching 39 x 26.3 cm (15 ⅜ x 10 ⅜ inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1932 Numbered lower left 1/9 and titled lower middle
£1,100
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Chatter Etching 26 x 19 cm (10 1⁄4 x 7 1⁄2 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1927 Inscribed lower left Trial proof no. 18/25 and titled lower middle
£1,100
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La Poursuite Etching with aquatint 17.2 x 12.5 cm (6 3⁄4 x 4 7⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1917 Inscribed lower left Final State Trial proof no. 1
£750
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Peccarys and Tiger Pranks Etching with aquatint 31.5 x 23 cm (12 3â „8 x 9 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1925 Inscribed lower left Final state no. 8/30 and titled lower middle
ÂŁ850
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The Hunting Prince Etching 15 x 20 cm (6 7⁄8 x 7 7⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1926 Inscribed lower left Trial proof no.14 and titled lower middle
£1,200
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A Ceremonial Dance Etching 19.2 x 24.8 cm (7 1⁄2 x 9 3⁄4 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1927 Inscribed lower left Final state no. 12/35 and titled lower middle
Note: This work is related to the painting with the same title illustrated on p. 6-7
£1,300
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Fear Ridden Etching 12.8 x 17.5 cm (5 x 6 7â „8 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1926 Inscribed lower left Final state no. 12/23 and titled lower middle
ÂŁ950
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The Horse Herds Etching 18.5 x 23.5 cm (7 1⁄4 x 9 1⁄4 inches) Signed and dated Orovida 1928 Inscribed lower left Final State no. 3/40 and titled lower middle
£1,200
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Pig Sticking Etching 17.3 x 27.4 cm (6 ¾ x 10 ¾ inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1931 Numbered lower left 26/50 and titled lower middle
£1,200
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The Hunt Etching 17 x 25 cm (6 3⁄4 x 9 7⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1952 Titled lower middle
£1,200
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Cheetah Etching 19.2 x 24.5 cm (7 1⁄2 x 9 5⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1930 Numbered lower left 28/50 and titled lower middle
£750
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Lutte d’Étalons Etching 17 x 27 cm (6 3⁄4 x 10 5⁄8 inches) Signed lower right Orovoida Titled and dedicated lower middle à Paulémile Pissarro Inscribed lower left Épreuve d'artiste
£850
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Stern Pissarro Gallery 66 St James’s Street London SW1A 1NE United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 7629 6662 www.pissarro.art