Ettore CASSER oil on panel. Portrait of a lady

ETTORE CASSER (1880-1944)

Portrait of a lady.

Oil on panel. Signed lower right.
Counter signed on back.

Painting 76cm 61cm
Frame 90cm 74cm

ETTORE CASER
Italian-American, 1880–1944
Born in Venice, Italy, Caser was an etcher, decorator and painter of the figure, landscape and marines. He studied at the Art Academy in Venice with Ettore Tito and M. de Maria. He was interested in old master techniques and his style and subject matter reflect the Venetian tradition. While researching in the Venice archives, he uncovered a recipe for Tintoretto's medium. He and Charles Hawthorne experimented with the formula in Venice (1906-07) and it was later commercially produced in the United States under the name "Hawthorne Medium." Some sources indicate that Caser came to the United States in 1908, but H. Dudley Murphy claimed that he met Caser in Italy in 1914 and induced him to come to the United States to work. Caser worked in Murphy's studio in Winchester for some time, and did the decorations for the Ginn Estate in Winchester during this period. He then moved to Chicago where he continued his decoration work. Caser returned to Italy during World War I where he served in the army and received the War Cross for distinguished service. After World War I he settled in New York City. He decorated the dining room for the Engineer's Club in New York City, and did the decorations for the Peoples Savings Association in Toledo, Ohio. Caser won a silver medal at the San Francisco Exposition, 1915; a silver medal at Rimini, Italy; and the Thomas B. Clark Prize at the National Academy in 1929 for "Fruits of the Earth." An exhibition of his work was held at Grand Central Galleries in 1929 where a memorial exhibition of his work was held in 1945.
REFERENCE: ca2305