Description: 1931 Post Impressionist oil painting on artist board (paperboard) depicting boats, people and buildings along the harbor in Malta by listed Maltese artist Victor Fleri Soler (1898-1959).Painting measures approx. 8 3/4 x 10 5/8 inches. Inscribed verso by the artist to his friend Anders and was given as a Christmas gift to him. The inscription is signed “Victor” (and then with his last name in different ink in parentheses after that). Also, dated and located verso “Malta 18th Dec 1931”.Signed, dated and located lower left front by the artist “VFS”, “Malta”, “1931”. Unframed painting is in untouched condition. It’s dirty, has dark fly speck spots, tiny minor losses, and the board is slightly bowed. Would benefit from cleaning, etc.Malta is an island country located just south of Sicily, Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. Painters from all over the world have always flocked to Italy to study art and paint. I see a lot of paintings in my travels that were done in the Naples area. It’s more rare to find old paintings depicting scenes south of there such as in the beautiful regions of Sicily and Malta.Until 1964, Malta was a British colony. People there speak English. Today, they’re part of the EU. A lot of the people are descended from French folks from Normandy and also Sicilians, but it’s very multicultural. Maltese people may have Arab ancestors, etc. The name ‘Fleri Soler’ sounds Spanish to me (Catalonia). Victor Fleri Soler’s father was Michele Fleri Soler (d.1947). Michele seems French, to me. Victor’s mother was Teresina Beck (d.1932). I always thought Beck was a German surname.There was an article, published back in 1982 (11-13), on the two Maltese painters Victor Fleri Soler and Candido Giglio. I couldn’t access it, but apparently it’s “Artisti li niftakar” by Rafel Bannici Cali and published by the Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Malta. I used Google translate to understand the summary (abstract), as follows:“This article talks about two Maltese artists. The first artist is named Candido Giglio and the second artist is named Victor Fleri Soler. Candido Giglio began to study design under Giuseppe Cali' and later went to Rome to continue studying there. Victor Fleri Soler studied art at the private school of the painter Ramiro Cali' and continued to study in Rome as well”.This info is on the L-Universita ta’ Malta site. One of the other sites where Victor Fleri Soler is listed is on the Belgravia Auction Gallery (located in Malta) site, because they’ve dealt in paintings by him.Another interesting biographical note is that Victor Fleri Soler was friends with Olof Gollcher (1889-1962). Olof was a collector, artist, and cultural enthusiast. He ended up buying the Palazzo Falson, which is today a museum in Mdina, Malta. Gollcher helped, but the main artist who painted the frieze (garlands of fruit and flowers) in one of the rooms was Victor Fleri Soler.The painting offered here caught my eye for two reasons. First, the subject with boats in the harbor and the colorful, thickly painted Post Impressionism style is very reminiscent of the work of Hayley Lever (1876-1958; Australian American artist whose oils can sell at auction for over 150K) and I’ve always liked his paintings. Secondly, I’ve never come across any paintings of Malta except for a couple tourist pieces (which are of no interest to me). So, this ‘fine art’ oil stood out as unique and rare.Malta is a small country with only around half a million people, although around 2.5 million people vacation there every year. These are mostly Europeans from the UK, Germany, France, etc. It’s a beautiful, sunny, Mediterranean travel destination with great food, history, and culture, so who wouldn’t want to go there, right?If you’re one of the tens of millions of people walking around today with great memories of your sunny days in Malta, this painting by Victor Fleri Soler might be exactly the kind of artwork you’ve been looking for. In the year 2031, it’ll be an antique (100 years old) painting!Fun fact: a lot of famous people have Maltese roots. The great grandfather of Britney Spears was from Malta. Bryan Adams grandmother was Maltese. The lead singer of one of my favorite bands, XTC, Andy Partridge is from Mtarfa, Malta. Musicians aside, the great great grandmother of Meghan Markle (Prince Harry’s wife) was from Malta. The wife of Bruce Willis, model Emma Hemming, is from Malta. CHECK MY FEEDBACK AND BUY WITH CONFIDENCE! *** 20+ years of happy customers on eBay *** Please see my other eBay listings for more great items.Message me to arrange for combined shipping on multiple purchases.
Price: 695 USD
Location: Pitman, New Jersey
End Time: 2024-08-13T20:48:21.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Unit of Sale: Single Piece
Artist: Victor Fleri Soler
Signed By: Victor Fleri Soler
Size: Small
Framing: Unframed
Region of Origin: New Jersey, USA
Year of Production: 1931
Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
Item Height: 8 3/4 in
Style: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism
Features: One of a Kind (OOAK)
Handmade: Yes
Culture: Maltese
Item Width: 10 5/8 in
Time Period Produced: 1925-1949
Signed: Yes
Color: Multi-Color
Period: Art Deco (1920-1940)
Material: Cardboard, Paper
Certificate of Authenticity (COA): No
Subject: Christmas, Cityscapes, Community Life, Figures, Fishing, Landscape, Men, Seafaring, Seascape, Seaside, Seasons, Ships, Working Life
Type: Painting
Theme: Architecture, Art, Cities & Towns, Continents & Countries, Cultures & Ethnicities, Famous Places, History, Nautical, People, Social History, Topographical, Travel & Transportation
Production Technique: Oil Painting
Country/Region of Manufacture: Malta
