LONDON.- Bonhams Impressionist & Modern Art Department will be hosting an exhibition of a selection of works by Carlos Nadal from English Collections. Fifty works spanning all of his life will be on show at Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, London from Thursday 25 August - Wednesday 7 September 2011. On Thursday 25 August between 11am-12 noon the artist’s son Alex Nadal will be present to offer insight into his father’s life and work.

“When addressing some students, the Catalan artist, Carlos Nadal once said, “Look up and around, not down at the pavement as so many people do. Make to enjoy the day of the joie de vivre.” Nadal lived his life by this mantra, and a sense of joie de vivre absorbed from his surroundings infuses all his works. Revelling in a riot of colour, his canvases employ bold contours and a naive style to convey familiar, illustrative scenes recalling memories, like painted snapshots, of holidays and happiness,” comments Deborah Allan, Head of Bonhams Impressionist and Modern Art Department.

Highlights of the exhibition include Fenêtre Ouverte which was sold by Bonhams earlier this year, as well as Le Plage and Le Port.

While Nadal was fairly diverse in the choice of settings for his works, be it Flemish interiors, Spanish beaches or the Cote d’Azur, his energy of expression and uniquely optimistic perception of the world around him is always evident and appeals greatly to viewers. Despite his friendships and support from fellow artists such as the pioneers of Modern art Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, he was never tempted to stray too far into the realm of abstraction, choosing instead to remain faithful to his own lyrical brand of representation and the vibrancy of his Fauvist influences.