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Orovida Pissarro Paintings

1893-1968

Orovida Pissarro, the only child of Lucien and Esther Pissarro, was the first woman in the Pissarro family to become a professional artist and the first Pissarro of her generation to take up painting. Born in Epping, England, in 1893, she lived and worked predominantly in London, where she was a prominent member of several British arts clubs and societies.

Orovida first learned to paint in the Impressionist style from her father and, after a brief period of formal study with Walter Sickert in 1913, she renounced formal art schooling.

Throughout her career, Orovida always remained outside mainstream British art movements. Much to Lucien's disappointment, she soon turned away from naturalistic painting and developed an unusual style that combined elements of Japanese, Chinese, Persian and Indian art. Her rejection of Impressionism, which, for the Pissarro family, was a way of life, and her simultaneous decision to drop her famous last name and use simply Orovida as a nom de peintre, reflected a desire for independence and distance from the family legacy, of which she nevertheless remained proud.

Orovida's most distinctive works are her paintings from the 1920s and 1930s in gouache (she called her mixture body color) and tempera, applied in thin, delicate washes to silk, linen, paper or gold leaf and embellished with brocade borders. These elegant and richly decorative works generally depict non-Western subjects, for example: Mongolian horseback riders, African dancers and Persian princes, often engaged in activities such as dancing or hunting rituals.

The second half of Orovida's painting career is marked by a dramatic change in both style and subject matter. In the mid-1940s, she began to embrace contemporary subjects from everyday life and returned to a more naturalistic style. Her new style was more suited to oils, and thus, she returned to that medium.

Over the course of her life, Orovida was aware of the mixed blessing of having famous artists in the family; not only a grandfather and father but also four uncles, and towards the end of her life, she was instrumental in developing the Pissarro family archive that her mother had established at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

(Biography provided by Stern Pissarro Gallery)

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Artist: Orovida Pissarro
Siamese Cat with Kittens by Orovida Pissarro - Egg tempura painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Siamese Cat with Kittens by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Egg tempera on linen 39 x 48 cm (15³/₈ x 18⁷/₈ inches) Signed lower right Orovida and dated lower left 1934 Provenance J Ankri, 8th October 1967 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 51, p. 56 (illustrated) Exhibition 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 Artist biography Orovida Camille Pissarro, Lucien and Esther Pissarro’s only child, was the first woman in the Pissarro family as well as the first of her generation to become an artist. Born in Epping, England in 1893, she lived and worked predominantly in London where she became a prominent member of several British arts clubs and societies. She first learned to paint in the Impressionist style of her father, but after a brief period of formal study with Walter Sickert in 1913 she renounced formal art schooling. Throughout her career, Orovida always remained outside of any mainstream British art movements. Much to Lucien's disappointment she soon turned away from naturalistic painting and developed her own unusual style combining elements of Japanese, Chinese, Persian and Indian art. Her rejection of Impressionism, which for the Pissarro family had become a way of life, together with the simultaneous decision to drop her famous last name and simply use Orovida as a ‘nom de peintre’, reflected a deep desire for independence and distance from the weight of the family legacy. Orovida's most distinctive and notable works were produced from the period of 1919 to 1939 using her own homemade egg tempera applied in thin, delicate washes to silk, linen or paper and sometimes embellished with brocade borders. These elegant and richly decorative works generally depict Eastern, Asian and African subjects, such as Mongolian horse...
Category

1930s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Linen, Egg Tempera

Cat and Mouse by Orovida Pissarro - Animal painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Cat and Mouse by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on canvas 61 x 51 cm (24 x 20 ⅛ inches) Signed and dated lower centre Orovida 1948, altered by the artist in 1966 Provenance Royal ...
Category

1960s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tom Cat by Orovida Pissarro - Cat oil painting, 1961
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Tom Cat by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on canvas 51 x 61 cm (20 ¹/₈ x 24 inches) Signed and dated lower left Orovida 1961 Provenance Collection of Carel Weight Private collecti...
Category

1960s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Cattery by Orovida Pissarro - Animal painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
The Cattery by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil and pencil on canvas 61 x 51 cm (24 x 20 ⅛ inches) Signed and dated upper right Orovida 1964 Provenance Estate of the artist G Hassel...
Category

1960s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Pencil

Spring (Primrose Gathering) by Orovida Pissarro - Oil painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Spring (Primrose Gathering) by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on board 101.5 x 76.4 cm (40 x 30 inches) Signed and dated lower centre Orovida 1956 Provenance Estate of Orovida Pis...
Category

1950s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Animal painting by Orovida Camille Pissarro titled 'Exercising Ponies'
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 20% VAT ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE Exercising Ponies by Orovida Camille Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on board 101.5 x 76 cm (40 x 30 inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1954 Provenance Estate of Orovida Pissarro With John Bensusan-Butt, cousin of the artist Sotheby's London, 12th October 1988 G Hassell, 25th November 1988 With John Noott, 10th June 1992 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 161 (illustrated) Exhibitions London, Bowmore Gallery, Women in Art 1850-1989, 2nd-11th November 1989 Fort Lauderdale, Museum of Art, Camille Pissarro and his Descendants, January-April 2000, no.123 This work was included in the above important museum exhibition and a catalogue of the Fort Lauderdale museum show will be included with this painting. Biography Orovida Camille Pissarro, the only child of Lucien and Esther Pissarro, was the first woman in the Pissarro family to become a professional artist and the first Pissarro of her generation to take up painting. Born in Epping, England, in 1893, she lived and worked predominantly in London, where she was a prominent member of several British arts clubs and societies. She first learned to paint in the Impressionist style from her father and, after a brief period of formal study with Walter Sickert in 1913, she renounced formal art schooling. Throughout her career, Orovida always remained outside mainstream British art movements. Much to Lucien's disappointment, she soon turned away from naturalistic painting and developed an unusual style that combined elements of Japanese, Chinese, Persian and Indian art. Her rejection of Impressionism, which, for the Pissarro family, was a way of life, and her simultaneous decision to drop her famous last name and use simply Orovida as a nom de peintre, reflected a desire for independence and distance from the family legacy, of which she nevertheless remained proud. Orovida's most distinctive works are her paintings from the 1920s...
Category

1950s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Ice Cream Picnic by Orovida Pissarro - Oil painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Ice Cream Picnic by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on board 101 x 76 cm (39 ¾ x 29 ⅞ inches) Signed and dated lower left Orovida 1953 Provenance Richard Pissarro, gifted by the ar...
Category

1950s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Caterwaul by Orovida Pissarro - Animal painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Caterwaul by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on canvas 51 x 61 cm (20 ¹/₈ x 24 inches) Provenance Estate of the artist With John Bensusan-Butt, cousin of the artist G Hassell, 25th...
Category

1950s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Fortune Teller by Orovida Pissarro - Oil painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 20% VAT ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE The Fortune Teller by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm (23 ⁵/₈ x 28 ³/₄ inches) Signed and d...
Category

1950s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nylons and Bric-a-Brac by Orovida Pissarro - Oil painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 20% VAT ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE Nylons and Bric-a-Brac by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm (28 ³/₄ x 23 ⁵/₈ inches) Signed and dated upper right Orovida 1951 Provenance Estate of the artist With John Bensusan-Butt, cousin of the artist G Hassell, 25th November 1988 With John Noott, 10th June 1992 Literature K L Erickson, Orovida Pissarro: Painter and Print-Maker with A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, (doctoral thesis), Oxford, 1992, Appendices, no. 141 (illustrated) Exhibition London, Redfern Gallery, Recent Paintings: Orovida, 3rd-26th January 1952, no. 51 Artist biography Orovida Camille Pissarro, Lucien and Esther Pissarro’s only child, was the first woman in the Pissarro family as well as the first of her generation to become an artist. Born in Epping, England in 1893, she lived and worked predominantly in London where she became a prominent member of several British arts clubs and societies. She first learned to paint in the Impressionist style of her father, but after a brief period of formal study with Walter Sickert in 1913 she renounced formal art schooling. Throughout her career, Orovida always remained outside of any mainstream British art movements. Much to Lucien's disappointment she soon turned away from naturalistic painting and developed her own unusual style combining elements of Japanese, Chinese, Persian and Indian art. Her rejection of Impressionism, which for the Pissarro family had become a way of life, together with the simultaneous decision to drop her famous last name and simply use Orovida as a ‘nom de peintre’, reflected a deep desire for independence and distance from the weight of the family legacy. Orovida's most distinctive and notable works were produced from the period of 1919 to 1939 using her own homemade egg tempera applied in thin, delicate washes to silk, linen or paper and sometimes embellished with brocade borders. These elegant and richly decorative works generally depict Eastern, Asian and African subjects...
Category

1950s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Monkey Killer by Orovida Pissarro - Animal painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
The Monkey Killer by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on canvas 76 x 101 cm (29 ⅞ x 39 ¾ inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1963 Provenance: The Leicester Galleries, Londo...
Category

1960s Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Father, Daughter and Horse by Orovida Pissarro - Oil painting
By Orovida Pissarro
Located in London, GB
*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 20% VAT ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE Father, Daughter and Horse by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm (23 ⅝ x 28 ¾ inches) Signed a...
Category

1940s Modern Orovida Pissarro Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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Orovida Pissarro paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Orovida Pissarro paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Orovida Pissarro in paint, fabric, oil paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Orovida Pissarro paintings, so small editions measuring 19 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jirayr Hamparzoom Zorthian, Byron Browne, and Erté. Orovida Pissarro paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $7,090 and tops out at $25,483, while the average work can sell for $14,016.

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