EDUARDO LEÓN GARRIDO (Madrid, 1856 - Caen, France,... Lot 143

EDUARDO LEÓN GARRIDO (Madrid, 1856 - Caen, France, 1949). "Lady with a bouquet of flowers in her hands". Signed in the upper right corner. It has a period frame. Measurements: 65 x 50 cm; 91 x 75 cm (frame). Female portrait of long bust that is placed in the foreground. The woman is dressed in clothes that seem to be of great quality and beautiful colours, although the most characteristic thing is the bouquet of flowers that she holds in her hands. Eduardo León Garrido began his training in Madrid, at the Escuela Superior de Pintura and in the studio of Vicente Palmaroli, whom he always considered his only master. A genre painter, he specialised in scenes of dancing in rococo salons, and also excelled as a master of female portraiture. When he did not obtain the scholarship to study in Rome, he travelled there on his own with his master Palmaroli, and later to Paris. In 1875 King Alfonso XII bought one of his paintings, and that same year he obtained a pension from the Madrid provincial council to study in the French capital, where he completed his training in the studio of Raimundo de Madrazo. The following year he took part for the first time in the Paris Salon, where he presented a "Saint Jerome". He soon attracted the attention of the most prominent art dealer of the time, Adolphe Goupil, for whom he worked for several years. From 1876 Garrido exhibited his works individually in Parisian galleries such as Borniche, showing portraits and contemporary scenes. During this period he also made numerous trips to Venice, accompanied by the Madrazos, Fortuny and Martín Rico. He took part regularly in the Paris Salons, as well as in the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts in Madrid and the International Exhibitions in London and Munich, where he was highly acclaimed by critics and the public. Between 1882 and 1894 he no longer took part in the Salon (except in 1884, when he exhibited a portrait of his friend the painter Bréauté), but concentrated on supplying the Parisian and Madrid galleries with which he had contracts. In 1892 he signed an exclusive contract with Félix Gérard, who imposed on him the theme of mansions which was so fashionable at the time. Thus, at this time he devoted himself almost exclusively to painting gallant scenes set in the 18th century. He soon left Paris and settled in Varenne-Saint-Hilaire (France), where he quickly became part of the cultural life and was appointed teacher at the local School of Arts and Crafts. In 1895 he again exhibited his works at the Paris Salon, and in 1914 he was granted French nationality. During the first decades of the 20th century he continued to paint, mainly landscapes of southern France and the Basque Country, as well as portraits of his family and flowers. Eduardo León Garrido is currently represented in the Prado Museum and in the Charles Léandre de Condé sur Noireau Museum (France), as well as in important private collections in France and abroad.