Henri CASTELLA (1924-2017) - 22969

Born from an industrial designer father at Berliet and a seamstress mother, Henri Castella didn't seem destined for a career in the arts. From 1938 to 1941, he was enrolled at the Sandar agricultural school in Limonest. After graduating, he was hired in 1942 by Rivoire Père et fils, grain growers on rue d'Algérie in Lyon, until 1943, when he enrolled at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, graduating in 1946. In 1954, he was awarded the Prix de l'Union Méditerranéenne pour l'Art Moderne, which enabled him to spend some time in Nice, from where he returned with numerous studies and paintings. In the company of Lachièze-Rey and Adilon, with whom he would become close friends, he stayed at the Villa Zoé artists' residence in Nice from 1954 to 1955. In 1954, he participated for the first time in the Salon du Sud-Est in Lyon, and worked with Galerie Drouant-David in Paris until 1956. He also took part in the 1955 Biennale de Menton. At the time, his work was figurative (and remained so until 1965). They depict familiar subjects - beach scenes, still lifes, a few portraits, the sea and landscapes - in thick, structured, half-tone tones of great luminosity. Castella's painting could therefore be compared to that of his friends Adilon and Lachièze-Rey, while acknowledging his own originality.