José Benlliure y Gil

José Benlliure y Gil painted lively scenes of Spanish and Italian life, history pictures and religious subjects, with warm colour and a strong sense of character. His best known work, Vision in the Colosseum, won first prize at the Spanish National Exhibition of 1887.

He was born in Valencia into a family of artists; his brother Mariano Benlliure was a sculptor. He studied in Valencia and then in Rome, where he lived for many years and led the Spanish artists’ colony. He directed the Spanish Academy in Rome from 1903 to 1913, then returned to Valencia to head the Museum of Fine Arts. His home in Valencia is now the Casa Museo Benlliure.

El Abuelo and Bebedores en la Taberna show his genre scenes. Look at the lively faces and careful drawing.