Still Life Paintings for Sale

Bologna-born master still life painter Giorgio Morandi’s (1890-1964) seminal style is considered a touchstone of 20th century modern art. His ordered, understated still life oil paintings of everyday bottles, ceramic pitchers, bowls, and glassware, painted in his signature muted, powdery color palette, have been said to reflect the artist’s taciturn personality. Spending most of his adult life in a modest apartment with his three sisters, Morandi’s bedroom was also his studio. “I’m a painter of...composition that communicates a sense of tranquility and privacy, moods which I have always valued above all,” he once said.

Following a breakdown that occurred while fighting in WWI, Morandi emerged embracing the era’s Metaphysical Painting movement, sometimes defined as painting that which cannot be seen. His Metaphysical Still Life (1918) with its odd, dreamlike images of shoes and globe-like image is a leading example of Morandi’s development in this area. At the outset of WWII, Morandi fled his home in Bologna - a key railway hub that endured escalating Allied bombings - seeking sanctuary in the countryside of Grizzana. There he is said to have painted some of the finest landscapes of his career, the tranquility they represent the antithesis of the chaos in the world around him.

Georgio Morandi created a number of paintings over several decades called Natura Morta, Italian for still life. His 1940 oval-shaped Natura morta was acquired by prolific collectors David and Peggy Rockefeller. The painting is described as an arrangement of vessels that is self-contained, calm and orderly, removed from the burgeoning turmoil of the outside world.

David Rockefeller’s affinity for art was ingrained as a child, when his mother, Abigail (Abby) Greene Aldrich Rockefeller, helped establish New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1929. Denied sufficient allowance by her husband, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who discouraged her interest in Modern Art, Abby resourcefully turned to NY businessmen Anson Goodyear and Paul Sachs, among others, and various corporations to finance art acquisitions for the fledgling MoMA.

Born into privilege in 1874 as the daughter of Senator Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, at age 20 Abby embarked on a European (and later Asian) journey. The first included stops in England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and Switzerland. In these countries her exposure to the great galleries of the world fostered a lifelong appreciation and patronage, her passion for art instilled in her children.

UGallery’s contemporary artists focus on creating striking arrangements while upholding tradition in their modern still life paintings, capturing the ephemeral beauty of sunflowers, peaches, apples, and more. Read what artists Pat Doherty and Nikolay Rizhankov have to say.

“I am a still life oil painter. Much of my work takes food as the subject matter. I am drawn to simple objects, and like to establish good color relationships between light and shadow. My focus is on color, texture, and graphic compositions that are pleasing to the eye.” - Pat Doherty, Floral, pastry, and fruit still life painter

“I paint to uphold the eternal beauty of classical fine art. Whether I am painting a simple still life or an elaborate portrait, I put all my heart into preserving the techniques of the Old Masters. I use classical Russian, Dutch, and Flemish style techniques to depict the breathtaking beauty of the natural world.” - Nikolay Rizhankov, Flower and fruit still life painter