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Lot Essay
Gustave Adolphe Mossa was trained by his father, who was also a painter and the organizer of the Nice carnival's floral parade. His first painting, Salome Dancing before Herod, was executed when he was only eighteen years of age.
Up to World War I, Mossa's reputation rested upon primarily upon his watercolors, with their brilliant coloring and masterful draftsmanship. Mossa was an artist influenced by many factors. He was a Symbolist painter, influenced by the work of Gustave Moreau, Lucien Levy-Dhurmer, and Edgard Maxence. He read Mallarmé, Baudelaire and Huysmans and he was also inspired by the artists of the Quattrocento, the Pre-Raphaelites and Art Nouveau.
Mossa retired from painting in 1918 and as curator of the Nice Museum, he spent the rest of his life preserving the work of other artists.
Up to World War I, Mossa's reputation rested upon primarily upon his watercolors, with their brilliant coloring and masterful draftsmanship. Mossa was an artist influenced by many factors. He was a Symbolist painter, influenced by the work of Gustave Moreau, Lucien Levy-Dhurmer, and Edgard Maxence. He read Mallarmé, Baudelaire and Huysmans and he was also inspired by the artists of the Quattrocento, the Pre-Raphaelites and Art Nouveau.
Mossa retired from painting in 1918 and as curator of the Nice Museum, he spent the rest of his life preserving the work of other artists.