Still Life with Grapes

Oil on prepared plywood

30x35 cm

This beautifully atmospheric still life is a wonderful example of Angelina Lavernia’s poetic approach to painting. Three luminous clusters of grapes rest against an ethereal sky-blue ground, their soft modelling and harmonious colours creating a composition that is both intimate and dreamlike. Painted on prepared plywood—a support Lavernia frequently used during the 1960s—the textured surface adds warmth and depth to the work.

Born in Barcelona in 1925, Angelina Lavernia studied at the Acadèmia Tàrrega, where she met fellow artist François Batet, whom she married in 1949. In 1951 the couple settled in France, making their home and careers in the Paris region, where they became part of the post-war revival of figurative painting. Before relocating, they spent time in Madrid copying the Old Masters at the Prado Museum, an experience that laid the foundation for the exceptional technical skill evident throughout both of their careers.  

Lavernia’s paintings are distinguished by their luminous colour, gentle lyricism, and unmistakable sense of intimacy. While firmly rooted in the figurative tradition, her compositions possess a subtle surreal quality that invites quiet contemplation. Flowers, fruit, portraits, and scenes from everyday life became recurring subjects, each painted with remarkable sensitivity to light and colour.

Her love of nature was deeply personal. She often recalled that she was “born among flowers,” the daughter of a flower grower and florist in Barcelona. Surrounded by blossoms, fruit trees, and gardens throughout her childhood, she developed an extraordinary sensitivity to colour, later spending ten years creating floral arrangements at her father’s flower stall on Las Ramblas. This lifelong relationship with the natural world is beautifully reflected in works such as this elegant still life, where humble grapes are transformed into a timeless meditation on light, colour, and form.  

Since her first solo exhibition in 1962, Lavernia has received numerous awards, and her paintings are held in private collections throughout France and internationally. Later in her career she also explored abstraction, while continuing to produce the figurative works for which she is best known.

This painting comes directly from Angelina Lavernia’s studio sale, offering exceptional provenance and an authentic example of an artist whose work continues to be admired for its sincerity, technical refinement, and enduring poetic charm.