Alejandro de Cabanyes

ALEJANDRO DE CABANYES MARQUÉS (Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, 1877–1972).
“Leaving the Show.”
Oil on canvas.
Needs restoration. The canvas has a tear.
Measurements: 56 x 65 cm; 70 x 90 cm (frame).

Born into a family with a long history of involvement in the arts—his grandfather, father, and uncle were all painters in the Romantic style—he spent most of his life at the family farmhouse in Vilanova i la Geltrú, where he would eventually set up his studio. He had been painting seascapes since his teenage years, and at the age of twenty he moved to Barcelona, where he studied at the School of Arts and Crafts and at the Sant Lluc Artistic Circle. He was a student of José Sugrañes and trained in the Catalan landscape school. He frequented Els Quatre Gats, a gathering place where young Modernists exchanged ideas. His first trip to Paris took place in 1900, and that same year he held his first exhibition at the Bertran Salon in Vilanova. In 1904, he exhibited for the first time at the Parés Gallery in Barcelona, to great critical acclaim. In 1908, he made a second trip to Paris and spent some time in Munich. Two years later, several of his works were accepted into the International Exhibition in Brussels, and in 1913 he participated in the Exhibition of Catalan Artists in Montevideo. During the 1920s, he exhibited several times at the Laietanas Galleries. In 1957, he was named an honorary citizen of Vilanova i la Geltrú, and in 1972, he was awarded the Order of Alfonso X the Wise. Today, his works can be found at the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Sant Jordi Hall of the Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid, and the Balaguer Library and Museum.