Alvaro Alcalá-Galiano y Vildosola

Bilbao, 1873 - Paracuellos del Jarama (Madrid), 1936.

Born into a distinguished family, the Bilbao painter commenced his apprenticeship with Lecuona and Guiard in his birthplace, and continued his studies in Madrid with Jiménez Aranda and Joaquín Sorolla.

He participated in a number of exhibitions, and won national and international acclaim. At National Fine Arts Exhibitions he obtained third prize in 1897 and 1899, second prize in 1901 and first prize in 1920 with “La senda” (The Path). On the international stage, his work could be seen in Paris, Düsseldorf, Buenos Aires and Panama.

The most famous compositions of Alcalá-Galiano are his costumbrista scenes of Brittany and Holland, resulting from trips he made to the regions in 1902. His were the first paintings to go on show in Madrid with these then-unusual themes.

Critics always enthused about his work, especially his vast collection of realist landscapes and seascapes. On the one hand, representations of rural life in the Basque Country, as in “Campesinos vascos” (Basque Peasants), conveying the tenacious hard-working spirit, full of vitality, that is typical of the region. And on the bourgeois side, the spontaneity and naturalness with which he depicted the leisure activities of this sector of society, for example, “La conversación” (The Conversation), which was used to illustrate the UEE calendar in 1923.

As well as at the easel, he was well-known for his mastery of mural decoration, with examples such as the Throne Room of the Vizcaya Provincial Assembly, the former Marine Ministry and the now long-disappeared Palace of Justice, as well as various residences in Madrid.

He was a dynamic influence on Basque cultural life of the time, an organiser of exhibitions, and founder and Chairman of the Ateneo de Bilbao. He also held the presidency of the Painters and Sculptors Association. Furthermore, he held the official title of Conde del Real Aprecio and performed significant political roles such as Chief Steward (Mayordomo de Semana) to King Alfonso XIII or Knight of Real Maestranza de Caballería de Zaragoza and of the Order of Charles III.

Alvaro Alcalá Galiano The conversation Oil on canvas 59,50 x 37 cm.