Sergio Duff, a widely exhibited Argentine landscape painter known for his atmospheric tonalism and refined knife-stroke technique. Acquired through the historic Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York City, the work showcases Duff’s celebrated ability to evoke mist, distance, and soft light with an economy of gesture.
Rendered in a muted palette of taupe, slate, lavender gray, and warm neutral tones, the composition presents two slender trees rising from a textural foreground, their softly feathered crowns dissolving into a pale atmospheric horizon. Duff’s signature short, controlled palette-knife strokes create a delicate interplay of opacity and translucency—an effect for which he became internationally recognized.
The painting is hand-signed “Duff” in the lower right. It remains unmounted and unframed in very good vintage condition. This is a fine example of Duff’s mid-career period, reflecting his mastery of Argentine tonal landscape traditions infused with European influence, shaped by his training in Spain and his later work in France.
Artist: Sergio Duff (1938– )
Title: Quiet Plains at Daybreak (suggested)
Medium: Acrylic on paper
Dimensions: 22 × 20 inches
Date/Period: Likely 1970s–1980s (Mitch Morse Gallery period)
Technique: Short, precise palette-knife strokes; soft atmospheric glazing; tonal layering
Style: Tonalism / Contemporary Landscape / South American Modern
Signature: Hand-signed “Duff” lower right
Condition: Very good vintage condition; unframed; no fading or warping
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC → Private Collection → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Sergio Duff (born 1938, Argentina) is an Argentine painter known primarily for his atmospheric tonal landscapes. Born into the culturally rich milieu of mid-20th-century Argentina, Duff demonstrated an early aptitude for drawing and composition. In 1957, he relocated to Spain to study at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Madrid)—a prestigious academy whose alumni include Salvador Dalí, Fernando Zóbel, and other influential Spanish modernists.
Duff’s time in Spain introduced him to Iberian luminist landscape traditions, emphasizing fine tonal transitions, elegant restraint, and the emotional resonance of atmosphere. Seeking broader European exposure, he later moved to Lyon, France, where he worked for several years, absorbing elements of French tonalism and post-impressionist color philosophy.
Returning to Argentina and alternating periods in Madrid and Buenos Aires, Duff refined a personal style distinguished by:
Tonal, mist-laden horizons
Controlled short palette-knife strokes
Textural yet delicate layering
A soft, dreamlike emotional quality
Critics in Argentina, Spain, Brazil, and France have praised his ability to “reconstruct the natural scene with subtle color, atmosphere, and high sensitivity.” His exhibitions across Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, and later the United Statesled to strong collector interest, particularly through New York’s Mitch Morse Gallery, which helped introduce Duff’s work to American audiences in the 1970s–1980s.
Duff’s paintings are held in numerous private collections and are recognized as refined examples of South American tonal landscape painting blending European academic technique with a distinctly poetic sensibility.
SERGIO DUFF (1938– ) – “Quiet Plains at Daybreak”
Original acrylic on paper, 22×20 in., signed lower right. Soft tonal landscape with signature controlled palette-knife technique. Excellent example of Duff’s European-Argentine style. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery (NYC); Artfind Gallery (Washington, DC). Very good condition.
Artist: Sergio Duff (1938– )
Title: Quiet Plains at Daybreak (suggested)
Medium: Acrylic on Paper
Dimensions: 22 × 20 inches
Signature: Hand-signed “Duff,” lower right
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC → Private Ownership → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
This document certifies that the artwork described above is an original acrylic painting by Sergio Duff. The work exhibits the artist’s characteristic controlled palette-knife technique and tonal atmospheric style for which he is internationally recognized.
Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York City (1970s–80s)
Private Collector (USA)
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)
Sergio Duff, a widely exhibited Argentine landscape painter known for his atmospheric tonalism and refined knife-stroke technique. Acquired through the historic Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York City, the work showcases Duff’s celebrated ability to evoke mist, distance, and soft light with an economy of gesture.
Rendered in a muted palette of taupe, slate, lavender gray, and warm neutral tones, the composition presents two slender trees rising from a textural foreground, their softly feathered crowns dissolving into a pale atmospheric horizon. Duff’s signature short, controlled palette-knife strokes create a delicate interplay of opacity and translucency—an effect for which he became internationally recognized.
The painting is hand-signed “Duff” in the lower right. It remains unmounted and unframed in very good vintage condition. This is a fine example of Duff’s mid-career period, reflecting his mastery of Argentine tonal landscape traditions infused with European influence, shaped by his training in Spain and his later work in France.
Artist: Sergio Duff (1938– )
Title: Quiet Plains at Daybreak (suggested)
Medium: Acrylic on paper
Dimensions: 22 × 20 inches
Date/Period: Likely 1970s–1980s (Mitch Morse Gallery period)
Technique: Short, precise palette-knife strokes; soft atmospheric glazing; tonal layering
Style: Tonalism / Contemporary Landscape / South American Modern
Signature: Hand-signed “Duff” lower right
Condition: Very good vintage condition; unframed; no fading or warping
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC → Private Collection → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Sergio Duff (born 1938, Argentina) is an Argentine painter known primarily for his atmospheric tonal landscapes. Born into the culturally rich milieu of mid-20th-century Argentina, Duff demonstrated an early aptitude for drawing and composition. In 1957, he relocated to Spain to study at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Madrid)—a prestigious academy whose alumni include Salvador Dalí, Fernando Zóbel, and other influential Spanish modernists.
Duff’s time in Spain introduced him to Iberian luminist landscape traditions, emphasizing fine tonal transitions, elegant restraint, and the emotional resonance of atmosphere. Seeking broader European exposure, he later moved to Lyon, France, where he worked for several years, absorbing elements of French tonalism and post-impressionist color philosophy.
Returning to Argentina and alternating periods in Madrid and Buenos Aires, Duff refined a personal style distinguished by:
Tonal, mist-laden horizons
Controlled short palette-knife strokes
Textural yet delicate layering
A soft, dreamlike emotional quality
Critics in Argentina, Spain, Brazil, and France have praised his ability to “reconstruct the natural scene with subtle color, atmosphere, and high sensitivity.” His exhibitions across Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, and later the United Statesled to strong collector interest, particularly through New York’s Mitch Morse Gallery, which helped introduce Duff’s work to American audiences in the 1970s–1980s.
Duff’s paintings are held in numerous private collections and are recognized as refined examples of South American tonal landscape painting blending European academic technique with a distinctly poetic sensibility.
SERGIO DUFF (1938– ) – “Quiet Plains at Daybreak”
Original acrylic on paper, 22×20 in., signed lower right. Soft tonal landscape with signature controlled palette-knife technique. Excellent example of Duff’s European-Argentine style. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery (NYC); Artfind Gallery (Washington, DC). Very good condition.
Artist: Sergio Duff (1938– )
Title: Quiet Plains at Daybreak (suggested)
Medium: Acrylic on Paper
Dimensions: 22 × 20 inches
Signature: Hand-signed “Duff,” lower right
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery, NYC → Private Ownership → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
This document certifies that the artwork described above is an original acrylic painting by Sergio Duff. The work exhibits the artist’s characteristic controlled palette-knife technique and tonal atmospheric style for which he is internationally recognized.
Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York City (1970s–80s)
Private Collector (USA)
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)
