The Gustavo de Maeztu Museum kicks off the summer with an exhibition of art from Navarre

The exhibition, curated by José María Muruzábal, brings together twenty-five works by Jesús Basiano

The Gustavo de Maeztu Museum presents the exhibition ‘Jesús Basiano. The Painter of Navarre’. This ambitious exhibition is dedicated to one of the most prominent painters in the history of 20th-century Navarrese art. The exhibition will run from 26 June to 27 September 2026 and will feature a total of 25 works, offering the public an insight into the career and creative world of this unique artist.
Curated by José María Muruzábal, the exhibition offers a journey through Basiano’s pictorial output via a carefully selected body of work that reflects the key constants of his artistic language: landscape, light, colour and his deep connection with nature and the Navarrese landscape.
Born in Murchante in 1889 and died in Pamplona in 1966, Jesús Basiano occupies a key place in contemporary Navarrese painting. From a very young age, he showed a remarkable aptitude for painting and drawing, which led him to train at the School of Arts and Crafts. The untimely death of his father and his family’s financial difficulties forced him to balance his artistic vocation with various jobs. Around 1908, he met the painter Darío de Regoyos, who went on to acquire one of his works and exerted a significant influence on his artistic development.

In 1912, he held his first exhibition in Pamplona, where he demonstrated extraordinary talent for painting. This recognition earned him a scholarship from the Provincial Council of Navarre to further his studies at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts, a period during which he consolidated his preference for landscape painting and developed a particular mastery in the treatment of light and colour.

After furthering his artistic training thanks to a new grant awarded by the Provincial Council of Navarre to study in Rome in 1915, Jesús Basiano returned to Spain and embarked on a busy exhibition schedule. In 1916, he held a solo exhibition in San Sebastián and travelled through various regions of Castile, whilst also taking part in exhibitions across the country. Shortly afterwards, he settled in Durango, where he came into contact with painters such as Gustavo de Maeztu, Aurelio Arteta and Pablo Uranga, becoming part of the Basque art scene and exhibiting in numerous group shows organised by the Association of Basque Artists in Bilbao.

In 1925, he moved permanently to Pamplona and opened a studio on the cathedral grounds. It was there that he produced the most prolific period of his career, focusing particularly on the Navarrese landscape: the banks of the River Arga, the San Pedro Bridge, the Cathedral, the Redín, the towers of San Cernin and numerous views of Pamplona, as well as landscapes of Tafalla, Estella, Burguete and the Roncal Valley. This deep connection with the region earned him recognition as the ‘Painter of Navarre’, although his work also includes notable landscapes of the Basque Country, Aragon and Castile.

His painting, free from ostentation and passing fads, focuses on capturing the atmospheres, seasons and variations in light within the natural environment.

Basiano made the landscape the central focus of his artistic creation. The fields, hills, villages and hidden corners of Navarre are transformed on his canvases into spaces for contemplation, where light and colour take centre stage. His body of work now stands as one of the most valuable testimonies to the sensibility towards landscape that developed in Navarre during the 20th century, and is an essential reference point for understanding the evolution of regional painting during that period.
The exhibition organised by the Gustavo de Maeztu Museum showcases representative works from different stages of his career, highlighting the coherence and individuality of an artistic vision that has retained its appeal over time.

With this exhibition, the Gustavo de Maeztu Museum continues its work of promoting, researching and showcasing Navarre’s artistic heritage, bringing the work of artists who have played a key role in Navarre’s cultural history to the public and contributing to a better understanding of their legacy.
The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm. On Sundays and public holidays, it is open from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm. Admission is free.