Pierre Vassura, Flowers

Pierre Vassura
Flowers, 2020
enamel on poster board
25.0 x 37.0 inches (framed)

“It is with empathy for the great loss of lives and sorrow of the world that I attest my feelings and emotions to the victims of this great calamity. I worked with my formalistic style on floral analogies and as a statement of participation to the happening I have produced and I present to you FLOWERS.” - Pierre Vassura

Pierre Vassura was born Romagna, Italy in 1935. The son of an architect and teacher, he enrolled in agricultural studies following the death of his father at age thirteen. Farming was not his passion however, and at age twenty Vassura moved to France in search of artistic experiences. He first secured work as a ceramic designer at the Faiencerie de St. Clement, and later a ceramic studio in Cote d’Azure, Vallauris-Juan les Pins. Vassura became a technical and production expert in several ceramic factories in Switzerland, France, Italy and Israel and he participated in Israel’s vibrant emerging ceramics industry with Palceramic in Haifa. With the Beit-Hagefen Art Gallery, Vassura first exhibited his paintings in Tel-Aviv and Haifa from 1963 to 1965. During this period, Vassura also met his future wife, Fotiny with whom he would have two children. In the early 1980s Vassura and his family moved to Richmond, BC. Vassura has been producing work in Richmond for over 40 years. In 2018, Richmond Art Gallery presented his first major solo exhibition entitled New Work: 1983 – 2018.

Vassura is known for his strong graphic style and vibrant use of colour. Many of Vassura’s paintings are in series, like classic grand narratives. These artworks are a joyous celebration of storytelling and visual culture that cross national, cultural and language boundaries, drawing from diverse sources. Other series by Vassura evoke classic literature including the Decameron, The Divine Comedy and Aesop’s Fables, as well as referencing the Tarot and stories from The Bible.