Biography

Biography


BY CAMINO PAREDES, DIRECTORA DEL MUSEO

1887

On August 30, Gustavo de Maeztu y Whitney was born in the city of Vitoria. On September 2 he was baptized in the parish of San Miguel Arcángel. His godparents were his brothers Ramiro and Ángela. little.

1894

The issue of Cuba and the family's economic ruin forced them to move to Bilbao, where the mother, Mrs. Juana Whitney y Boné, would dedicate herself to teaching.

1905

At the age of 17 he participated in his first group exhibition. He exhibits three works at the Bilbao Fine Arts Exhibition. He participates alongside Losada, Alberto and José Arrúe, Regoyos, Larroque, Asarta, Daniel and Ignacio Zuloaga, Iturrino, Uranga, Durrio, Basterra, Huerta, Guiard and Canals.

1906

He exhibits four works at the Fine Arts Exhibition, also called Modern Art at the Bilbao Philharmonic Society. Works by Sorolla, Fortuny, Arteta, Losada, Regoyos, Salaverría, Madrazo, Pradilla, Benlliure were shown there.

1907

From April to June, he goes to Paris to imbibe its artistic and human culture. He alternates with Paco Durrio, Ignacio Zuloaga, Tomás Meabe, founder of the socialist youth and great friend of Gustavo. During your visits to the Louvre, discover Spanish painting by Herrera the Elder, Zurbarán, El Greco, Velázquez and Ribera.

1908

He became actively involved with José Arrúe in the literary adventure of creating the newspaper “El Coitao”. Only eight issues of it were published.

1909

Together with Tomás Meabe, exiled in the south of France, in Saint Jean le Vieux (Department of the Low Pyrenees), he spends much of the year. Send a painting to the Paris Salon des Indépendants.

1910

His painting Souletins, sent to the Salon des Indépendants in Paris, was rejected for arriving after the deadline. Concerned about not being able to succeed in painting, he develops his ability as a writer, adding to his literary collaborations in the press as a columnist, that of a book writer. He publishes his novel “Andanzas yepisodos del Señor Doro”. In Mexico he will participate with other Basque artists in a group exhibition to commemorate the first centenary of its independence. His work as a press writer will lead him to launch various ideas about the need for artists to associate to defend and solve their problems. Based on these approaches, the Association of Basque Artists emerged a year later.

1911

He publishes his second literary work that bears the title “The blue cat. “Action novel”, with a prologue by his brother Ramiro de Maeztu. The Association of Basque Artists is created in Bilbao, of whose executive he will be an active part.

1912

He sent a painting to the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid in which he portrayed the artist called La Goya.

1913

Connoisseur and lover of the emerging world of cinema, he participated in the filming of Benito Perojo's films “So-and-so falls in love with Manón”. In reality, it is a short film with limited footage shot in Madrid's Retiro Park. Once again, he participates in theII Exhibition of Modern Artheld in the halls of the Philharmonic Society. He exhibits four paintings and reads a manifesto of his with the suggestive title “Our resurgence.” He sent another work to the Paris Independent Salon, titled A religious festival in Monzón.

1914

On May 15 he held his first exhibition at the Dalmau Galleries in Barcelona. The critics brought him the satisfaction of receiving great praise and the first sign of acceptance of his work. After the summer, in San Sebastian and in the lobby of the Pueblo Vasco newspaper, he posted his works, obtaining the same favor from critics.

1915

After the Catalan adventure, his next step will be to show his work in Madrid. In the Salons of the Palace Hotel he will hang his creations, once again the critics, although less unanimous, praise his work. In June he will return to Barcelona, ​​exhibiting in the Can Parés room. At the National Exhibition of Fine Arts he presents three paintings, among them The Blind Man of Calatañazor. On November 4, his great and admired friend Tomás Meabe died in Madrid. Shortly after, on the 22nd, he participated in a group exhibition of the Association of Basque Artists in Bilbao. In the exhibition, her work Eva raises a huge scandal, and the venue is about to close.

1916

In a group exhibition of the Association of Basque Artists in Bilbao, he exhibited his painting The Blind Man of Calatañazor. Work that, along with others, will be shown in Madrid in the newspaper La Tribuna, during the month of April. For this reason, a tribute is paid to him on May 8, with the participation of Ramón Gómez de la Serna, whose gathering at the Pombo café Gustavo de Maeztu attended when he was in Madrid. His traveling spirit takes him to visit the provinces of Soria, Navarra, La Rioja, Córdoba and Murcia. Involved as he was in the external projection of the Association of Basque Artists, he became the promoter of the exhibition that it would hold in Madrid, from November 4 to 30. A fervent supporter of supporting allies, he will actively participate in the exhibition-auction that will be held in Madrid during the month of November and December to raise funds for the benefit of Spanish volunteers fighting in France against German troops.

1917

The Association of Basque Artists exhibits in Barcelona, ​​at the Layetanas Galleries. In February he exhibited in Bilbao, among other paintings he showed The Women of the Sea and The Blind Man of Calatañazor. On March 13, the Bilbao Museum Commission gives approval for the acquisition of The Blind Man of Calatañazor. Once again, he attended the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, this time, he showed a large triptych whose expressive title is The Iberian Land. With this work he obtained a third-class medal. class. Back in Barcelona, ​​in June he inaugurates a new exhibition of his works, this time, at the Galerías Layetanas. Organized by Antonio Segura, he will receive a warm tribute along with the painters Francisco Iturrino and Pablo Picasso, with whom he will establish a good friendship.

1918

In the month of January he exhibits a series of works in the premises of the Bilbao Philharmonic Society in which figure and landscape alternate. He exhibits his painting The Nocturnal Muse, considered as a study for a triptych that would be titled The Night.

1919

The International Painting Exhibition opens on August 30, at the Berástegui schools in Bilbao. Maeztu participates along with an important list of artists, with names such as Gauguin, Renoir, Bonnard, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Maurice Denis, Mary Cassat, Picasso, Van Dongen. Once again, a restless creator, scout for new horizons and in need of giving his painting a new twist, he moved to London. Previously, he finished his work El Orden, projected as part of a trilogy in which he denounces the Spanish oligarchy. In London he will live in the Chelsea neighborhood, at 62 Cheyne Walk Street. From December 6 to 30, he exhibits a total of 147 works, including oil paintings and drawings, at the Grafton Galleries.

1920

He exhibits at the Sheffield Municipal Museum, the Leed Municipal Museum and the Hull Museum. Go to the first Autumn Fair held in Madrid during the month of October. Send the paintings The Order and The Force. In the anthological exhibition held in London on Spanish painting since the 16th century, he participates with four paintings.

1921

From February 2 to 17 he exhibits at the Walker's Gallery in London. He shows his painting Pierrot in the Tavern for the first time. In the second half of September he exhibits a total of 12 oil paintings and 40 drawings in the room of the Association of Basque Artists.

1922

In the month of May he exhibits at the Devambez Galleries in Paris. It will show a total of 33 oil paintings and 38 drawings. On September 10, the Third Congress of the Society of Basque Studies will open in Guernica. Maeztu presents six paintings in the exhibition, the most important of which is the one titled Basque Land. The conception and canvas were made by Maeztu, the embossed leather frame was made by Luis Quintanilla and Isasi, and the carpentry was the work of Martín de Zuloaga.[/one_second] On November 18, Estanislao María de Aguirre delivered to the printer the manuscript in which he traces the profile of Gustavo de Maeztu. It will see the light in December, starting a collection that will be titled “Biblioteca Color”, directed by Miguel de Maeztu and Jesús Ortiz de Echagüe. The covers of the book were beautifully made of embossed leather by Luis Quintanilla. Inside there is an ex-libris made by Antonio de Guezala and a caricature of Maeztu signed by Luis de Bagaria.

1923

In the months of June and July he exhibits his works at the Museum of Modern Art of Madrid. He presents his theme of the Chinese to the public of the capital. On this topic he will give a lecture in the exhibition hall titled “Fantasy about the Chinese.”

1924

On February 9, he opens his exhibition at the Salón Nancy in Madrid. The landscapes reflected scenes from the province of Santander. The Dutch ambassador, Indalecio Prieto, Margarita Nelken, Alcántara, Vegue, José Francés, Méndez Casas, Vázquez Díaz, Edgar Neville, etc. attended the opening ceremony. It is presented at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts with the Portrait of my sister María. In Bilbao and in the halls of the Association of Basque Artists he will show his Chinese figures. On October 25, the Bilbao Museum of Modern Art opens. The painting The Blind Man of Calatañazor hangs on its walls.

1925

In January, invited by the director of the Amsterdam Municipal Museum, Mr. Beard, he exhibited a total of 60 works in the honor room. In April it is shown at the Municipal Museum of the city of Arnhem. He returned to literature again and wrote his play “Cagliostro”. During the month of September he participates in the Euskara Festivals in Fuenterrabía. He goes to Paris to learn scenography.

1926

On January 26, the exhibition that includes his works opens at the Casino of the city of Salamanca. From that moment on he made another journey through Spanish geography to capture new landscapes. From May 15 to June 15, he participates in the first Exhibition of Basque Artists, which is held in the halls of the Museum of Modern Art of Bilbao. He participates again in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, presenting his work The Legend of Don Juan. In the month of December he exhibits for his friends in his studio on Orueta Street from Bilbao.

1927

On February 21, a tribute dinner to the painter Adolfo Guiard will be held at the Carlton Hotel in Bilbao. The Hotel Hall was transformed by the decorations made by the painters Guezala, Urrutia, Ucelay and Gustavo de Maeztu. Everything was accompanied by the music of Jesús Guridi. On October 28, an exhibition by Gustavo de Maeztu opens at the premises of the Association of Basque Artists in Bilbao. He exhibits paintings from his last trips through Galicia. On April 21, the Espasa-Calpe publishing house brings to light a new book written by Maeztu under the title “La Camorra Dormida”.

1928

In the month of March, he presents his invention of paintings for outdoor facades at the Palacio de Bellas Artes Antiguas de Sevilla. The special jury of the contest awards him the first reward in the free initiative section. This same month, on the 17th, a Maeztu exhibition opens in the Hall of the School of Arts and Crafts of Vitoria. The Vitoria City Council acquires the painting titled Alavés y vizcaíno. Tour the provinces of Seville, Burgos, Extremadura and Ávila. He plans to carry out excavations in San Pedro de Arlanza, for which he obtains the appropriate permits from the Ministry of Public Instruction. It obtains a new award in the Work Contest and Industrial Exhibition organized by the Bilbao City Council.

Participate in July in the Great Basque Week organized by the Attraction and Tourism Center in collaboration with the Association of Basque Artists and the Museum of Basque Art of Bayonne.

On October 26 he gives a conference on his new painting technique at the Association of Architects of Madrid. Shortly after, he went to the VIII Autumn Salon, presenting three paintings.

1929

In the second half of April he exhibits watercolors at the Association of Basque Artists in Bilbao. On May 14, an exhibition of watercolors, drawings and encaustic projects opens in the Sala del Ateneo Guipuzcoano in San Sebastian. Likewise, he presents his project San Sebastian a una queen, to be carried out in encaustic as a tribute to Queen María Cristina.

1930

He works as an environmental advisor in the film “The Song of the Day”. Together with David Álvarez, he creates an artistic distribution company located in Tolosa.

1931

In the month of June he exhibits individually at the Palacio de los Tiros in Granada. It presents 14 works related to encaustic procedures and his first autolithography.

1932

From May 15 to June 15, the Basque Artists exhibition will be held at the Museum of Modern Art in Bilbao. Participate with a work.  In the month of July he exhibits his collection of autolithographys in Madrid. The chosen place is the Círculo de Bellas Artes. On December 3, the exhibition of his autolithography opens in the Hall of the Association of Basque Artists. The Board of the Museum of Modern Art of Madrid agrees to the acquisition of five autolithographs.

1933

Participates in various group exhibitions of the Association of Basque Artists in Bilbao, Barcelona (Galerías Emporium). On April 24 he inaugurates an individual exhibition of his works at the Library Catalonia Hall in Barcelona. In the month of July he exhibits in Pamplona, ​​in a group exhibition, organized at the School of Arts and Crafts. He gives one of his works to the Provincial Council and another to the Ateneo de Navarra. In October he exhibits his autolithography in San Sebastian. During the autumn and in collaboration with Arturo Acebal Idígoras decorates two large canvases in the Hall of the new Correos headquarters in Bilbao.

1934

In May he exhibited his autolithography at the Galerías Layetanas in Barcelona. He attended the National Exhibition of Fine Arts with his graphic work, productions that he would exhibit in Pamplona during the month of November. Participate in the traveling exhibition of Spanish engravers that will tour the cities of Graz, Vienna and Munich.

1935

From January 7 to 20, he exhibits at the premises of the Association of Basque Artists, among his work the Dutch and Andalusian landscapes stand out. In the month of May he returns to exhibit at the Galerías Layetanas in Barcelona, ​​this time, showing a collection ofcement frescoes. The Provincial Council of Navarra commissioned him to carry out the pictorial-mural decoration of the new Session Hall of the Provincial Palace of Pamplona.

1936

On February 22, the Alea group was founded in Bilbao. Gustavo is appointed president of the same. In May the murals in the Hall of the Provincial Council are finished. He goes to the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, he brings three paintings, one of them with a Navarra theme Jota Navarra, Roncal. To spend the summer he settles in Estella, where he is surprised by the start of the Civil War. On November 11, his brother Ramiro de Maeztu was shot in Madrid. In the month of August, he participates in Vitoria in an exhibition of Alava artists held at the premises of the School of Arts and Crafts.

1938

On April 26, in the hall of the Provincial Council, in Pamplona, ​​he exhibited his works around the painting General Zumalacárregui. During the month of September he exhibits a collection of his works at the Singer Gallery in San Sebastian. Participates in the Venice Biennale, exhibits five paintings.

1939

From April 9 to May 30, an exhibition of Painting, Sculpture and Decorative Arts is held in Bilbao under the sponsorship of the City Council, organized by the Provincial Propaganda Headquarters of Vizcaya, at the Carlton Hotel. In the month of June he exhibits at the Singer Gallery in Logroño.

1940

The Vitoria City Council commissioned him to make a portrait of his brother Ramiro to be placed in the Main Hall of the Town Hall. In the month of May, the newly painted painting by Maeztu San Francisco Javier is placed in the Parish of San Francisco Javier. Participate during the month of July in the I Exhibition of Navarrese Artists held in Pamplona, ​​in the Palace of the Provincial Council of Navarra.

1941

He completes a large painting for the Hospital of San Juan de Dios in Pamplona, ​​with the image of the founder of the Order. In November he exhibits again at the Pallarés Gallery in Barcelona.

1942

In the month of June he exhibits in Madrid, at the Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid.

1943

On April 27, a tribute is paid to Maeztu at the Lhardi restaurant in Madrid. The table was chaired by Ignacio Zuloaga and Mariano Benlliure. On December 11, he exhibited in the store of his friend Anastasio Martínez in Pamplona.

1940

In the month of January, the Grupo del Suizo organizes theI National Watercolor Showin Bilbao in which Maeztu participates. On March 28, Mrs. Juana Whitney died in her home on Calle Mayor in Estella. The Civil Government of Pamplona acquires the painting that represents A deer hunt set in the 12th century, in the time of King Sancho the Strong. He goes to the National Exhibition of Fine Arts with the work The Iberian Bull. From March to September, a series of articles written by Maeztu with themes focused on Navarra, its origin and anecdotes are published in the Pregón» magazine of Pamplona. In the month of October he exhibits at the Singer Gallery in Bilbao. It shows a total of 80 colored drawings, to which he will add his collection of autolithography.

1946

The Provincial Council of Vizcaya commissioned him to paint the portrait of Bachelor Poza for the Gallery of Illustrious Vascongados of the Guernica Assembly House.

1947

He died at his home in Estella, on February 9. Previously, on February 4, the Estella City Council, in a Plenary Session, granted him the title of Adopted Son of the city. On May 31, a posthumous tribute is paid to him at the Bilbao Park Museum.
 

About Gustavo de Maeztu


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