JOSÉ BENLLIURE GIL (Valencia, 1855 - 1937). "Inside a cafeteria", Tunisia.

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19th & 20th Century paintings and Decorative ...

By Setdart Auction House

Nov 10, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-11-10 08:00:00 2021-11-10 08:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : 19th & 20th Century paintings and Decorative Arts https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/19th-20th-century-paintings-and-decorative-arts-7800
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• Lot Description
  JOSÉ BENLLIURE GIL (Valencia, 1855 - 1937). "Inside a cafeteria", Tunisia. Watercolor on paper. Signed and titled in the lower left corner. Preparatory drawing for the work ""Inside a Coffee House, Tunis"" which was sold at the auction ""Important Works from the Najd Collection"", held at Sotheby's London in 2019, whose hammer price reached 646,000 €. Measurements: 36 x 44 cm; 66 x 74.5 cm (frame). Orientalist painters embarked in search of new motifs and experiences to North Africa, the Middle East and Turkey, motivated on the one hand by a genuine fascination and on the other hand by the great demand for the ""exotic"" in Europe. Spanish Orientalists such as Antonio Fabres y Costa and José Benlliure gravitated around the Spanish Academy in Rome, where, inspired by Mariano Fortuny, they produced some of their most important works. The scene is inspired by Benlliure's experience during his travels in North Africa, particularly Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. However, it appears that the composition is derived from a photograph published in 1892 in La Ilustración Española y Americana, in which he portrays a mise-en-scène of Spanish artists dressed in oriental costumes during carnival celebrations at the Circolo Artistico Internazionale in Rome. Luminous and characterized by loose brushstrokes, the watercolor transports the viewer to the hustle and bustle of a musical evening in a Tunisian café and offers a perspective of daily life in North Africa through the eyes of a Spaniard. The artist's skill in depicting the details of the clothing, as well as the brilliance of the palette, stand out. José Benlliure cultivated costumbrista themes and portraits. He began his artistic studies with Francisco Domingo in Valencia, to later continue his training in Madrid, where he settled in 1869. From an early age he enjoyed the patronage of the King of Savoy and in 1879 he moved to Rome, where he was discovered by the important art dealer Martin Colnaghi, who financed his studies in the city. In 1897 he made several trips to Tangier, Algeria and Morocco where he approached through a realistic, luminous, loose and stained painting to the daily world of the places visited. From 1900 onwards, his work depicts popular themes. He attended the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, obtaining third medals in the editions of 1876 and 1878 and first in 1887. He belonged to the Academies of San Fernando (Madrid), San Lucas (Rome), San Carlos (Valencia), Brera (Milan) and Munich. Between 1904 and 1912 he directed the Spanish Academy in Rome. The most important part of his production is preserved in Valencia, in his House Museum and in the Museum of Fine Arts San Pío V. He is also represented in the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Palace of Charles V in Granada, among others."
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