Ponti Art Gallery is interested in buying and selling works
of art by this artist.
Ugo Celada Biography
Ugo Celada da Virgilio, born in Cerese di Virgilio near Mantua in 1895 and passing away in Varese in 1995, was an Italian painter whose work spanned across several art movements, including Metaphysics, Magic Realism, New Objectivity, and Novecento. His journey into the world of art began at a tender age when his exceptional drawing skills convinced his father to enroll him at the Royal School of Applied Art in Mantua at just twelve years old. His talent and dedication earned him a scholarship to the prestigious Brera Academy, where he was particularly influenced by the painter Cesare Tallone, known for his expressive portraits and refined brushwork.
Celada's official debut under the name "Ugo Celada da Virgilio" took place at the Venice Biennale in 1920, marking the beginning of a successful career. His work, characterized by an obsessive and almost photographic realism, drew comparisons to contemporaries such as Cagnaccio di San Pietro and Antonio Donghi. His success at the Biennale, where he returned in 1924, 1926, and 1936, was significant, with the famous French painter and critic Émile Bernard, then President of the Jury, lauding him as the greatest Italian painter of his time.
Celada's painting style is a unique blend of reality and fantasy, where the irrational and imaginative elements create mesmeric and secretive atmospheres. His works are suspended outside time and space, reflecting his passion for drawing and his attachment to reality, which transported him into another era. His still lifes, in particular, recall the painting of the 17th century with their transparent glass and shiny surfaces, yet they are charged with a modern sensibility through Celada's use of color and translucent brushstrokes.
Throughout his career, Celada maintained a vast and high-ranking circle of patrons who continuously commissioned paintings from him. His work, which lies halfway between Magic Realism and the New Objectivity, became one of the foremost examples of figurative painting, characterized by a completely anomalous and personal style. Something eternal and "metaphysical" binds his works together, which nonetheless are strictly slotted into the “genres” of the academic tradition: the portrait, the figure, the landscape, and the still life.
The light that pervades his canvases, reflecting off softly burnished female bodies or the various objects that crowd his iconically perfect still lifes, is unreal because everything that appears is frozen in an enchanted, silent vision, immersed in an infinitely dilated time. His painting style was faithful to reality in its colors, reflections, and transparencies, presenting a scientifically exact reality that was analytical and detached. Yet, his paintings seem to be constantly staging reality, not representing it but constructing it. This was precisely the message that Celada intended to convey with his work: that humankind must build, with its own forces, a superior condition of order and harmony.
Despite his significant contributions to the art world and his unique position at the intersection of several major art movements, Ugo Celada da Virgilio has enigmatically remained outside the circle of renowned artistic names. His legacy, however, is preserved in the collections of those who recognized his genius during his lifetime and in the exhibitions and retrospectives that continue to celebrate his work posthumously. Ugo Celada da Virgilio's art remains a testament to his ability to blend reality with fantasy, creating works that are both timeless and reflective of the human condition.
Ugo Celada Quotes and Sales of
Works
Ponti Art Gallery selects and deals with paintings by the
artist. Upon request, we provide free estimates and
evaluations, communicate prices, quotations, and current
market values.
If you are interested in BUYING or SELLING works by the
artist, contact us immediately.
If you wish to sell or receive an evaluation of the
works:
Send us a frontal photo of the painting, one of the back,
and one of the signature. Also, indicate the dimensions of
the work. Inform us about the purchase origin of the work
and any kind of available documentation (purchase
receipts, certificates of authenticity, publications). One
of our operators will respond to you on the same day. We
guarantee maximum confidentiality and extreme
professionalism.
If you wish to purchase works by the painter: Contact us
and let us know your request. We will inform you about the
available works. We also offer the possibility to
subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, through which you will be
informed at the beginning of each month about the latest
acquisitions of the art gallery.
You can send us pictures of the work: