SPANISH PAINTING NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC VIEW AFTER BEING HIDDEN FOR 140 YEARS
When Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla travelled to Paris in 1889 and 1890, he had no idea he would create a highly sought-after masterpiece. Furthermore, he had no idea that the piece, Paris Boulevard (1890), would go missing for over a century.
Sorolla was primarily praised for his expansive seascapes, picturesque beach scenes, and amazing light command; unlike Paris Boulevard, he rarely strayed into moodier compositions. The painting, which uses cooler, darker hues to reflect the waning sunlight, shows a bistro on the corner of a busy Parisian street. Sorolla even incorporated a subtly self-portrait into the piece, sitting next to a soldier at one of the café's tables and holding a cigar.
Following his return to Spain in 1890, Sorolla sold Paris Boulevard to a private collector after showcasing the painting at the National Exhibition. The painting disappeared after it was bought, and its provenance was unclear.
The president of Spain's national heritage institution, Ana de la Cueva, told Antena 3 TV that "all the experts thought it had disappeared, but a feat of investigation turned up some most unexpected results."
In the end, it was found that the family who had originally purchased Paris Boulevard in the 19th century still owned it. With the owners' consent, the outstanding painting is currently one of 77 on display in a new solo exhibition.
The show, Sorolla, One Hundred Years of Modernity, charts Sorolla's artistic development throughout his career. Paris Boulevard is also being displayed in public for the first time.
"Paris Boulevard's panoramic composition, which is very photographic and doesn't worry about the figures who are cut off at each end, really grabs your attention and gives it a freshness that's a taste of what Sorolla would go on to do more emphatically," says Blanca Pons-Sorolla, curator of the exhibition and the great-granddaughter of the artist.
Until February 16, 2025, Sorolla, One Hundred Years of Modernity will be displayed at the Galería de las Colecciones Reales. Go to the Galería de las Colecciones Reales website to find out more about the exhibition.