A beautiful collection of paintings by Pierre Ambrogiani has been sourced by Callaghans of Shrewsbury! We are delighted to introduce our new collection, which features stunning floral still-lifes masterfully rendered in Ambrogiani’s sweeping, thickly painted expressionistic style. 

Pierre Ambrogiani (1907-1985) was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, but grew up in Marseille. It was not until 1937 that Ambrogiani decided to devote his life to art, and despite being entirely self-taught, his work indicates a honed mastery of artistic skill and has received international recognition. 

Ambrogiani is renowned for his vibrant expressionist-Fauvist style, characterised by striking, dissonant colour harmonies – he once described himself as a ‘gourmand of colour’! – and emphasis on texture. Ambrogiani’s oil paintings were often highly tactile due to his thickly applied impasto technique. His delight in rich, saturated colour and expression through texture was indicative of his fierce and audacious creativity, which is present in all of his works. 

Over the course of his life, Pierre Ambrogiani portrayed a wide range of subject matter, most notably his vivid Mediterranean landscapes, still-lifes and nudes, as well as scenes of daily life in Marseille. He was a prolific artist, producing over 1500 paintings, 7 sculptures, 1200 drawings and watercolours and 300 prints. Ambrogiani associated with several well-known artists such as Marc Chagall, Auguste Chabaud and Rene Seyssaud, and became recognised as one of the key pioneers of the Marseille art movement. 

Ambrogiani was awarded a number of notable accolades over his lifetime, including the Prix International de la Biennale de Menton in 1951, the Grand Prix des Peintres Temoins de leur Temps in 1967, and the Prix du Gemail in 1968. In 1973, he  was honoured by a major retrospective exhibition at the Musée de la Vieille Charité in Marseille, and his works are included in many exhibitions and collections today, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Marseille and the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Meudon in France.

My personal favourite of Ambrogiani’s works in the gallery is “Bouquet on a Gueridon Table”, which features a rich blend of colours and expressive brushwork which in itself seems imbued with life and energy. The flowers are loosely rendered with thick, expressive brushstrokes. Deep, intense reds mingle with mustard yellows, interspersed with vivid greens and blues and pops of cream. Pierre Ambrogiani’s paintings are constantly brimming with a breathless vitality that exists in every inch of canvas, and that’s why I love them. He doesn’t try to hide the little imperfections and the chaotic-ness of life – he sees the beauty in the rawness of them, and invites us to see it as well.

Here at Callaghans we are honoured to exhibit Pierre Ambrogiani’s works, and we invite you into the gallery in Shrewsbury to come and view them for yourself.