Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682)

An Immaculate Conception, restored in 2019 and displayed in a church in Seville, has sparked a debate among experts. Ignacio Cano and Antonio Romero believe the canvas was painted by Murillo between 1640 and 1645, while art historian Enrique Valdivieso argues it does not display Murillo’s noted style and techniques.

A grand master of Spanish baroque, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo left behind a rich body of religious painting, tinged with both realism and mysticism. Several variations of this Madonna of the Rosary came out of his workshop.

The bungled restoration of the Immaculate Conception by Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo sparked indignation and a call for law reforms by experts. The disastrous cleaning, carried out by a furniture restorer, is the latest of several high profile botched restorations of artworks in Spain (Guardian).

The rediscovery of this work by Murillo was a red-letter event for the art market, triggering a fervor that matched the anticipation simmering for several weeks. But it was not the only piece that inspired a battle.

The rediscovery of a Murillo painting is sure to make waves in Spain and England, where another version is in the Oxford Museum.

Acclaimed as one of the greatest painters of New Spain and the leading exponent of casta painting, Miguel Cabrera also produced a body of religious work imbued with Spanish and French influences.

Mexico City’s Kurimanzutto, one of Mexico’s leading contemporary art galleries, now represents Colombian artist Oscar Murillo; the artist’s long-time representative David Zwirner, with whom he has worked with since 2013, will continue to work with Murillo. Murillo was named joint winner of the Turner Prize in 2019.

After a dazzling debut in 2013, marked by a record auction of $400,000 for Untitled (Drawings off the Wall) from 2011, the Colombian artist Oscar Murillo (born 1986) had witnessed a decrease in its price index. While it had fallen by 60%, its index has now returned, according to Artprice, to its 2015 level.

The Colombian painter is back in the market's good graces, after a resounding debut was followed by a dramatic decline in his performance at auction.

“Portrait of a Lady” by Bartolomé González y Serrano sold for £237,500 at Christie’s last year. The museum said it “was made at a pivotal moment in Spanish history, which saw the movement of the imperial capital from Valladolid (Castile) to Madrid and…the arrival of Diego Velázquez” (AntiquesTradeGazette)