Sersen, Ferdinand "Fred" M. (1890-1962).

Oaks in River Landscape by Fred Sersen (1890-1962) 43" x 66", Oil/Canvas, Signed Lower Right Est.: $3,000 - $5,000 Sold by John Moran Auctioneers for $3,450 on 10/17/2006 ARTIST WORLD RECORD

Painter.

Born in Czechoslovakia on Feb. 24, 1890.

'Fred' Sersen came to the U.S. at age 17. He first studied at the Los Angeles School of Art and Design and continued at the Portland (OR) Art Academy and San Francisco Institute of Art.

While at the latter, the Canadian government commissioned him to produce a mural for the PPIE. He painted a series of cityscapes of San Francisco before returning to Los Angeles.

Most of his career was spent as head of the special effects department at 20th Century Fox where he was nominated for nine Academy Awards and received two Oscars.

The subjects of his oils and watercolors include city scenes, coastals, and the desert near Borrego Springs where he had a second home.

Sersen died in Los Angeles on Dec. 11, 1962.

Exh: Eagle Rock Artists, 1931; Academy of Western Painters (LA), 1935-38; Calif. Art Club, 1938; GGIE, 1940; Painters & Sculptors of LA, 1942 (2nd prize); Calif. WC Society, 1945-54. Eagle Rock Sentinel, 11-6-1931; CD; MaS; PF.