72 - FRANCESCO LA MONACA (Catanzaro, 1882–Washington, 1937).

FRANCESCO LA MONACA (Catanzaro, 1882–Washington, 1937). "Snake Charmer." Bronze. Signed. Measurements: 31 cm (height). Born in Catanzaro, Calabria, La Monaca initially sought a career in the military but soon abandoned it to devote himself to art. Unable to secure scholarships in his home country, he emigrated to Paris, where he studied at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts under the tutelage of sculptors Gabriel-Jules Thomas and Jean-Antoine Injalbert. During his time in the French capital, he financed his studies by working as a laborer and associated with leading figures of the time such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Amedeo Modigliani. Despite being part of the artistic avant-garde, his style remained faithful to a more classical, academic, and realistic approach. Beginning in 1909, he began exhibiting regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français. His breakthrough came in 1913, when he won the bronze medal for his work *Gli eroi del mare* (“The Heroes of the Sea”). Throughout his career, he painted portraits of important figures of the time, including Pope Pius XI and the playwright George Bernard Shaw. In 1927, he was awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor by the French government. Years later, in 1931, he married Emilia Cardona, the widow of the famous Italian painter Giovanni Boldini. He died in Washington, D.C., in February 1937. ]