Paintings

Germaine Verna
French, 1900-1975
Horserace at St. Moritz
Oil on canvas
21 ½ by 29 in. W/frame 28 ½ by 36 in.


Provenance:

Private Collection New York
Le Trianon Fine Art & Antiques

Inventory Number: Art V20
1950-present City Scene European Sporting Art Impressionist/Post Impressionist

See Artist Bio below.


Germaine Verna
French, 1900-1975

During the early 1920’s the artist studied at a number of studios in Paris including André Lurcat, André Lhote, Othon Friez. In the years that followed she became closely associated with a group of artists known as the “les Montparnois”, and was particularly close to Pascin, Soutine, Kisling and De Chirico.

During the mid-1930’s the artist grew close to and later married the noted art critic Francois Verna, editor of the Cailliers Jaune. At that time she stopped using her maiden name Germaine Marx and began signing her paintings Germaine Verna. 

With the threat of war in 1939 it became clear that Francois Verna, as an Italian national, faced likely internment should Mussolini wage war on France.  The Vernas therefore moved to Switzerland. Ther they settled in the picturesque town of Ascona, a leading art colony of the period, on the Lago Maggiore not far from the Italian border. Here the Vernas made their home for the rest of their lives.

During the Ascona years, from 1940 until Germaine Verna’s death in 1975, her paintings were devoted to two primary subjects; townscapes and landscapes of Ascona and its lyrical environs, portraits of the artist’s friends, acquaintances, domestics, and town characters.

In the years after the war Verna’s paintings found their way into the collections of prominent museums and were widely exhibited in gallery shows in Paris, New York, Switzerland and elsewhere.

Major Exhibitions:
Paris, Groupe des Independents at the Salon d’ Automne; Paris, Galerie Drouant-David, 1952; Galerie André Weil, 1966;
New York, Fine Arts Associates (Otto Gerson), 1953;  Philadelphia, Coleman Art Gallery;  London, Marlborough Gallery
Ascona (Switzerland), Galleria AAA, 1971;  Kaiserslautern (Germany), Pfalzgallerie, 1973

Publications:
Verna by Maximillen Gauthier, published by: Les Gerneaux, Paris, 1953

Reveiws:
Maximillien Grauthier, Les Nouvelles Litteraires, Paris, 26 June 1962;  Robert Metadier, Carrefour, Paris, 18 June 1952;  Jean Bouret, Arts, Paris, 26 June 1952;  Pierre Descargues, Les Lettres Francaises, Paris 11 July 1952;  Adolphe de Falairolle, Le Provencal, Avignon, 22 June 1952;  Rene Domergue, L’Information, Paris, 21 June 1952;  Georges Turpin, La Revue Moderne, Paris, 1 August 1952;  Elsa Franconi Poretti, Corriere del Ticino, Lugano 17 July 1952;  Efrem Masoni, Il Dovere, Lugano, 15 July 1952;  Jean Chabanon, Le Peintre, Paris, 15 June 1952;  Pierre Imbourg, Une Semaine de Paris, Paris, 18 June 1952;  Eros Bellinelli, Libera Stampa, Milano, 29 July 1952 

Museums and Exhibitions:

Musée National d’ Art Moderne, Paris;  Unversity of Chicago Art Gallery, Illinois;  Denver Art Museum, Colorado;  Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey;  Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York;  Alverno Collection, Wisconsin;  Elvehjem Art Center, University of Wisconsin at Madison ;  Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin;  Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin;  Milwaukee Fine Arts Galleries, University of Wisconsin;  Oshkosh Public Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Top