Francesc Sans Castaño

FRANCESC SANS CASTAÑO (Barcelona, 1868–1937).
“Spanish Scenes.”
Oil on parchment mounted as a panel.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 82 cm (diameter).
Francesc Sans studied at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona and under the painter José Serra Porson. He participated in the National Fine Arts Exhibitions of 1882, 1887 (honorable mention), 1890, 1899, and 1910, with the paintings “The Drinker,” “The Pole-Climber,” “Neither Envied Nor Envious,” “Hunt,” “Fantasy,” and “Dead!” In Barcelona, he made a name for himself at the 1894 General Exhibition of Fine Arts with his painting “The Ergastule.” Also in his hometown, he won third prize at the 1911 Universal Exhibition. He worked in both portraiture and genre painting, and also painted depictions of Spanish women wearing the classic mantilla, intriguing portraits of Gypsy women, still lifes, flowers, and landscapes. He also contributed to various publications of the time and illustrated several books. Sans took part in numerous group exhibitions at different art salons in Barcelona, and participated in the Witcomb Salon in Buenos Aires in 1907 and 1908. Among his solo exhibitions, those held in Barcelona at the Parés Gallery in 1918 and at the El Siglo Gallery in 1923 are particularly noteworthy. At the latter exhibition, most of his works were acquired, which led him to exhibit again at that gallery in 1925. An outstanding portraitist, his notable works in this genre include portraits of Àngel Guimerà, Alfonso XIII, Juan Sallarés, Joaquín Farrés y Aimerich, and José Ricart y Giralt, among many other prominent figures of the time. Francesc Sans Castaño is represented in the MACBA in Barcelona and in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid.