Querubim Lapa (Portuguese, 1925-2016), Untitled, Ceramic Plaque

Polychrome glazed ceramic plaque, signed lower left, the posterior with integral cradling, ink numbered, and wired for wall display. 18 x 18 x 2 in. Private Collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Querubim Lapa de Almeida was born in Portimão in 1925. His visit to the Portuguese World Exhibition in 1940 was a turning point, introducing the young artist to multidisciplinary artistic expression. Trained in sculpture and painting, diversity would come to be the hallmark of his work, with his ceramic creations standing out for their artistic and technically innovative solutions, in addition to his enduring interest in design, painting, tapestry and printmaking. He began his artistic training in 1941 with the painter Trindade Chagas. The following year, he enrolled at the António Arroio School of Decorative Arts, in addition to training at the Afonso Domingues Industrial School. In the same year, he exhibited with Pedro Oom and Júlio Gil at the Lisbon Italian Culture Institute: the first of countless group exhibitions both in Portugal and abroad (in 1953, three years after starting to participate in the General Exhibitions of Plastic Arts, he was one of the artists chosen to represent Portugal at the São Paulo Art Biennial). From 1947 to 1950, he attended the Lisbon School of Fine Arts, where he studied under Leopoldo de Almeida. In 1950, he moved to Porto and went on to study at the Porto School of Fine Arts with Barata Feyo. On completing the sculpture course in 1953 (and later he completed the painting course in 1978) at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts, he then entered the teaching profession. In 1955, Lapa began teaching at the António Arroio School of Decorative Arts, introducing new teaching methods and innovative techniques. Having been involved from the start in Gravura – Portuguese Printmakers Co-Operative (formed in 1956), it was at its headquarters that he held his first solo exhibition in 1960, exhibiting paintings, prints and ceramics. Lapa's work has been the subject of various studies and exhibitions. Outstanding examples within his ceramics body of work include the panel designed for the Dean's Office at the University of Lisbon (1961), another on Avenida 24 de Julho in Lisbon (1994) and the one to be seen at Bela Vista station in the Lisbon Metro (1998). His work is represented at the Tokyo Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Contemporary Art – Museu do Chiado, the Soares dos Reis National Museum, the National Azulejo Museum and the Modern Art Centre at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Source: Centro De Arte Moderna Gulbenkian Scattered glaze crazing; 2 in. area of possible restoration to the base profile edge; a few minor surface marks.

Estimate:$100

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