106 - Petar LUBARDA (1907–1974, Yugoslav-Montenegrin)

Petar LUBARDA (1907–1974, Yugoslav-Montenegrin) Composition or The Carnival, 1955 Oil on Masonite, Signed and dated “LUBARDA 1955” lower left. (Tear in the lower right corner.) Height: 44.8 cm; Width: 36 cm Provenance: - Leicester Gallery Collection, London (by tradition) A leading figure in modern Yugoslav painting, Petar Lubarda developed, beginning in the postwar period, a unique pictorial language at the intersection of Expressionism and abstraction, characterized by powerful brushwork and intense color. His international recognition solidified in the 1950s. Honored at the São Paulo Biennial in 1953, he particularly caught the attention of Brazilian critics in Rio de Janeiro, who highlighted the originality of his compositions. Dated 1955, this composition stands out for its fragmented forms and vibrant colors, arranged in a swirling movement that evokes the exuberance of Carnival. It bears close similarities to *Le Carnaval* from 1954 as well as to the 1958 version, with which it shares dynamic curves, a vivid color palette, and a great freedom of execution. That same year, the prestigious Leicester Galleries in London dedicated Lubarda’s first solo exhibition in England to him. Held in October 1955, the exhibition was accompanied by a catalog featuring reviews by Jean Cassou, Charles Estienne, Aleksa Čelebonović, and Robert Meije, among others, attesting to the interest her work was generating on the European art scene at the time. In the catalog, the renowned British art critic Herbert Read noted: “He is a painter endowed with a prodigious sense of rhythmic composition; his colors are vivid and harmonious.” — Herbert Read, London, September 1955 (translated from English). This assessment finds particular resonance in the present painting, whose spontaneity, vivid contrasts, and dynamic forms fully illustrate Lubarda’s expressive maturity in the mid-1950s. Related work: - Petar Lubarda, The Carnival, 1954, oil on canvas mounted on fiberboard, 100 × 72 cm, private collection. Key Bibliography: - PEROVIĆ, Olga, *Petar Lubarda 1907–1974*, published by Galerija Todorović, Podgorica, 2004. - Petar Lubarda, exhibition catalog (London, Leicester Galleries, October 1955, exhibition no. 1074), London, Leicester Galleries, 1955, p. 4 (quote from Herbert Read). - Petar Lubarda, with a foreword by Zoran Kržišnik, exhibition catalog (Ljubljana, Mala Galerija, December 1959–January 1960), Ljubljana, Mala Galerija, 1959. Expert: Kevin KALAMPEROVIĆ VON KUŠEVIĆ I CABINET K.v.K & Élisabeth MARÉCHAUX LAURENTIN | CABINET MARÉCHAUX