Francisco Ribera Gómez

Madrid, 1907-Málaga 1990.

He began working at the studio of his father, José Ribera Blázquez, where he was influenced by romantics such as Madrazo, Rosales and Esquivel, and he later studied at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts with professors of the stature of Moreno Carbonero, Julio Romero de Torres and Mateo Inurria. He completed his training after two years with a scholarship at El Paular and in Granada.

His first involvement in the National fine Arts Exhibition in Madrid earned him awards in 1928 and 1930. In the thirties he produced his brilliant posters, with which he won the Fine Arts Circle Masked Ball poster competition in Madrid in 1931 and he was chosen to illustrate the International Fair in Barcelona in 1933. In that same year he moved to Barcelona as art director of the advertising firm Walter Thompson.

After the Civil War, he continued to reap success at National Fine Arts Exhibitions (1941, 1948 and 1950), and he began his teaching career, occupying since 1945 “the natural drawing chair” at Barcelona’s School of Fine Arts, which he later directed between 1964 and 1972, following in the footsteps of Federico Marés.

A special chapter in his prolific career goes to his relationship with the UEE, since Ribera Gómez is most represented painter in the Collection; his oil paintings were used no less than thirteen times for the New Year calendar between 1947 and 1977. All of the calendars are clear evidence of the rest of his production, in which he cordially merges the romantic influence of his initial training with the light of the Mediterranean.

Official recognition came in 1946, when he was appointed an honorary member of the Spanish Painters’ and Sculptors’ Association. A year later he received the same honour from the Fine Arts Circle in Madrid, after obtaining the prize from the Education Ministry at the Salón de Otoño. He entered the San Fernando Academy in 1967, and the Royal Academy of Saint Isabel of Hungary in Seville in 1971.

Abroad, his work was shown at various individual exhibitions in Cuba (1956 and 1958) and Brussels (1964), where he obtained the gold medal from the “Syndicat d’initiatives de la Ville de Bruxelles” at the 1965 “Arts in Europe“ International Exhibition. On the international stage he also received the diploma and gold medal for “Arts, Sciences and Letters” in Paris 1968, and was named Knight of the “Order of the Republic of Italy” in 1973.

Always very fond of the cities of Madrid and Barcelona, he often had exhibitions at Madrid’s Salón Cano and at the Barcelona galleries Augusta, La Pinacoteca and Argos.

1947 Francisco Ribera Jockeys Oil on canvas 65 x 54 cm.	1948 Francisco Ribera Young man turned back Oil on canvas 64 x 53 cm.	1950 Francisco Ribera Lady with shotgun and dog with partridge Oil on canvas 65 x 54 cm.	1951 Francisco Ribera After the hunt Oil on canvas 65 x 53 cm.

1954 Francisco Ribera Rural hunter Oil on canvas 65,50 x 53 cm.	1956 Francisco Ribera Peasant woman Oil on canvas 65 x 53 cm.	1959 Francisco Ribera Hunter with shotgun and woman with water jug Oil on canvas 65,50 x 55 cm.	1962 Francisco Ribera Woman with seaf Oil on canvas 65 x 54 cm.

1963 Francisco Ribera Girl with cooper pan Oil on canvas 80,50 x 64,50 cm.	1968 Francisco Ribera Country fruits Oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm.	1975 Francisco Ribera Couple with game and fruit Oil on canvas 66 x 54 cm.	1976 Francisco Ribera Hunt Home Oil on canvas 65 x 54 cm.

1977 Francisco Ribera Woman with Water Jug and Ear of grain Oil on canvas 65 x 54 cm.