Baltasar Lobo

BALTASAR LOBO CASQUERO (Cerecinos de Campos, Zamora, 1910 – Paris, 1993).
“Sketch for the sculpture *Pensative*” and untitled drawing.
Ink drawings on paper pasted onto the first pages of the book *Fotografías de Fina Gómez Revenga*, 1954
Publisher: Maestros Impresores Draeger Frères, Paris. Edition of 3,000 copies.
The book’s covers are damaged.
Signed on one of the drawings.
Measurements: 23 x 16 cm (drawing); 28 x 21 cm (drawing); 40 x 29 x 2 cm (book).
Fina Gómez played a prominent role in promoting Baltasar Lobo’s work in Venezuela, in addition to maintaining a close personal and patronage relationship with the sculptor. Her interest in his work was also reflected in her own collection, from which several works by Lobo originated, some of them expressly dedicated “pour Fina.” This relationship makes the copy in question particularly interesting.
The book is *Photographs by Fina Gómez Revenga*, published in Paris in 1954, which contains two original drawings by Baltasar Lobo pasted onto the first pages, one of them identified as a “Sketch for the sculpture *Pensative*.” Drawn in ink on paper, these are spontaneous sketches that offer insight into the sculptor’s creative process and, by being integrated into the book itself, establish a direct connection between Lobo’s work and Gómez’s photographic universe.
The volume brings together 40 black-and-white photographs by Fina Gómez, accompanied by poetic texts by Lise Deharme and the Spanish translation by Alejo Carpentier. It was published in Paris by the prestigious Draeger Frères workshops, known for the quality of their printing and their collaboration with major 20th-century artists and creators. A total of 3,055 copies were produced: 55 on Marais “Licorne” paper, signed by the author, and 3,000 on Vélin Hélio paper.
Beyond the interest of the photobook itself, the inclusion of the two original drawings by Lobo makes this copy a particularly unique piece. A sculptor and draftsman, Baltasar Lobo began his training at age twelve in a religious sculpture workshop in Valladolid and later studied at the San Fernando Academy in Madrid and the School of Arts and Crafts. In 1946, he settled permanently in Paris, where he came into contact with figures such as Picasso and Henri Laurens. His international career was marked by numerous exhibitions in Europe, Japan, and Venezuela, notably the retrospective held at the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid in 1960. Throughout his career, he received major awards, including the French Official Prize for Arts and Letters (1981) and Spain’s National Prize for the Visual Arts (1984). His work is currently included in major collections and museums, including the MAPFRE Foundation in Madrid, the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias, the Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf, the Lentos Kunstmuseum in Linz, and the Baltasar Lobo Museum in Zamora, which is entirely dedicated to his body of work.