Augustin Émile  Carrera was a French painter of Spanish origin who was born in Madrid and died in Paris. As a child, he followed his parents to Marseille, where they worked as espadrille craftsmen. Gifted for drawing from an early age, he soon entered the Beaux-Arts school in Marseille, then the Beaux-Arts school in Paris, where he became a pupil of Léon Bonnat. In galleries and museums, Carrera observed and immersed himself in the works of Cézanne, Gauguin and Seurat. But it was Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Monet and Pissaro who had the greatest influence on his work.

From 1904, he exhibited at the Salons des Artistes Français, Artistes Indépendants and the Tuileries. He exhibit nudes, portraits, flowers, landscapes and harbor views. It is in his southern views that he shows himself to be the most ardent colorist. Carrera’s palette is astonishingly vivid, made up of bold, violent tones, a sort of fauve. In 1912, the artist was awarded the Indochina allowance. Carrera stayed in the Far East for eight months and brought back compositions with new subjects. The King of Cambodia commissioned him to create monumental panels for his palace. During a trip to Spain in the following years, Carrera had a revelation when he discovered the works of El Greco and Velasquez. On his return, he settled in Paris, in the artistic center of the Montparnasse district.

He forged ties with the politician, collector and friend of painters, Albert Sarraut, who included the artist’s canvases in his collection, among the greatest.

The art critic François Thiébault-Sisson, who followed him assiduously, enabled him to further consolidate his reputation, already acquired through exhibitions at Galerie Druet and Galerie Georges Petit.

Carrera was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1920 and an Officer in 1928.

Museum and Gallery Holdings

Paris (former Mus. du Luxembourg): Woman in Blue Stockings