Fred Sersen Biography
Fred Sersen (1890 - 1962) Born: Czechoslovakia; Studied: Portland Art Academy, Mark Hopkins Institute of Art (San Francisco), Los Angeles School of Art; Member: California Water Color Society. Fred Sersen was seventeen when he immigrated to the United States and by 1916, took up permanent residence in the Los Angeles area.
While he received a number of awards for his fine art watercolors, Sersen is best known for his work in the motion picture industry. He started as a scenic artist at the Twentieth Century-Fox Studios and eventually became head of their special effects department. Most of the large watercolors he produced for the film industry were photorealistic works which, when photographed and incorporated into the action sequences, appeared to be actual scenes. He was nominated for nine Academy Awards and received two Oscars for motion picture work.
Biographical information:
Interview with Florence Sersen, 1982.
Biography courtesy of California Watercolors 1850-1970,
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California Watercolor