L’Ancêtre Corse - 1950s Oil on Canvas by Robert Falcucci - 31½" x 27½"

This expressive oil on canvas by Robert Falcucci (1900–1989), dated 1950 and signed on the reverse with the signature also visible at lower right, presents a powerful and introspective portrait of the artist’s Corsican grandfather. The title L’Ancêtre Corse is handwritten on the back of the canvas, anchoring the work in personal memory and lineage. The bearded visage emerges gradually from layered strokes of deep green, umber, ochre, and shadowed blues, punctuated by flashes of crimson and ivory. At first glance the composition verges on abstraction, yet the face slowly resolves, suspended between memory and presence. Lively, confident brushwork and areas of soft impasto animate the surface, lending the painting both emotional depth and physical texture. The work is housed in a carved and gessoed wood frame with a pale, chalky finish that complements the muted palette; the canvas is in good condition, while the frame shows a weathered patina and some age marks.

Robert Falcucci (1900–1989) was a French painter, poster artist, and decorator, best known for his influential work in graphic design and his long association with the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he later taught. Active across painting, illustration, and monumental decoration, he played a significant role in shaping the visual language of mid-20th-century France, particularly through posters for cultural institutions, theaters, and public events. Alongside his graphic work, Falcucci maintained a deeply personal painting practice, often turning to portraiture and memory as subjects. This postwar canvas reflects his ability to merge expressive figuration with modernist sensibility, revealing a more intimate and painterly dimension of his oeuvre. Best placed where one lingers rather than passes through, this work carries a contemplative weight rooted in memory and identity. The interplay between abstraction and portraiture, paired with the artist’s personal subject matter, lends the work intellectual and emotional substance. Hung in a study, library, or above a console, it brings a sense of presence, drawing the viewer into its layered surface and emerging figure. The mineral palette and textured frame work naturally with stone, linen, and warm woods, but it is the portrait’s quiet intensity that holds attention over time.

Condition and patina consistent with age.
Approx. overall 31½" high x 27½" wide x 3½" deep
Approx. overall 80cm high x 70cm wide x 9cm deep