SERGE SHART
Serge Shart 1927-2011
Serge Shart Artinian was born in 1927 to Armenian parents in Beirut. He received his primary and secondary education with the Jesuits. At the age of thirteen, Serge developed a passion for drawing. In 1942, he was an apprentice draftsman in the Geographic Service of the F.F.L. In 1947 he left Beirut for Italy and arrived in Paris. In 1948 he entered the School of Fine Arts and left it a fortnight later and attended the free workshops of the capital. Until 1951, he traveled, visited the great museums, discovered and became passionate about the great masters. He won his first prize for drawing at UPSALA, in 1952 he had his first exhibition in Beirut and returned to Paris.
This was the beginning for Shart of a dazzling international career of more than fifty years which made him one of the personalities who made their mark in the world of art. His works have been displayed in the museums of several countries and in many private collections throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
He died on 12th January 2011
Lonely Swimmer, 1973
Wheat Fields, 1990
Young Years, 1981
Mother with Daughter,1968
Shart’s art encompasses a wide range of subjects, from still lifes and portraits to beach and rural scenes. Often offering a rich cultural narrative, his paintings encapsulate moments in time in brilliant colour and detail, with even his smaller works displaying a hallmark breadth and fullness.
His figurative work captures the seemingly fleeting emotions etched on the faces of his subjects at key moments in time, from pensive-looking children to jovial carnival participants, while other paintings crystallise nostalgic scenes from everyday life, such as foraging in the countryside, picnicking families or musicians with their instruments.
