José Lázaro Galdiano
Encyclopedia
José Lázaro Galdiano was a Spanish financier, journalist, publisher and art collector, who at the time of his death owned one of the largest and most significant art collections in Spain. He was described in 1940 as "one of the greatest patrons of culture in nineteenth century Spain". At the time of his death, his collection numbered some 12,600 pieces, mostly from the Old Master
and Romantic
periods - he had little interest in the Modernists.
, Navarre
. He studied Law and Philosophy in Seville
and Madrid
before taking office in 1883 at the Bank of Spain in Barcelona
. However, his talent and ability in art appreciation and journalism soon took his career in another direction. He befriended Emilia Pardo Bazán
who introduced him to the leading Spanish intellectuals of the time. In 1889, he co-founded the review España Moderna with Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo
and a number of leading Spanish critics. This was followed by the launch of the Revista Internacional; a review that featured Spanish, French, English and German writers.
In 1903, he married the glamorous Argentine Paula Florido (d. 1931) who shared his passion for art and advised him on many of his major acquisitions. She accompanied him on his frequent travels across Europe, Africa and North and South America seeking art objects. Lázaro was a member of the Athenæum of Madrid
and served on the board of trustees at the Museo del Prado
. In 1921, he was elected president of the International congress of History of Art. He spent the years of the Spanish Civil War
in exile, first in Paris and later New York, where he continued to collect art works. He returned to Madrid following the end of the conflict.
, Goya
, El Greco
and Zurbarán
.
Old Master
"Old Master" is a term for a European painter of skill who worked before about 1800, or a painting by such an artist. An "old master print" is an original print made by an artist in the same period...
and Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
periods - he had little interest in the Modernists.
Life
Lázaro was born in 1862 in BeireBeire
Beire is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
, Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
. He studied Law and Philosophy in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
before taking office in 1883 at the Bank of Spain in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. However, his talent and ability in art appreciation and journalism soon took his career in another direction. He befriended Emilia Pardo Bazán
Emilia Pardo Bazán
Emilia Pardo Bazán was a Spanish author and scholar from Galicia.-Life:...
who introduced him to the leading Spanish intellectuals of the time. In 1889, he co-founded the review España Moderna with Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo
Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo
Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo was a Spanish scholar, historian and literary critic. Even though his main interest was the History of ideas, and Hispanic philology in general, he also cultivated poetry, translation and philosophy.He was born at Santander where he showed that he was an infant prodigy...
and a number of leading Spanish critics. This was followed by the launch of the Revista Internacional; a review that featured Spanish, French, English and German writers.
In 1903, he married the glamorous Argentine Paula Florido (d. 1931) who shared his passion for art and advised him on many of his major acquisitions. She accompanied him on his frequent travels across Europe, Africa and North and South America seeking art objects. Lázaro was a member of the Athenæum of Madrid
Ateneo de Madrid
The Ateneo de Madrid is a private cultural institution located in the capital of Spain, originally founded in 1835. Its full name is Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico de Madrid .-History:The roots of the Athenæum trace to the ideals of Francophiles and liberals of the early 19th...
and served on the board of trustees at the Museo del Prado
Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of...
. In 1921, he was elected president of the International congress of History of Art. He spent the years of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in exile, first in Paris and later New York, where he continued to collect art works. He returned to Madrid following the end of the conflict.
The Lázaro Galdiano Museum
Since Lázaro's death his home in Calle Serrano, a fashionable street in Madrid, has been adapted to serve as a museum to house his collections. The building was commissioned in 1903, the year of his marriage, and is in neo-Renaissance style. The museum is open to the public and includes works by Bosch, VelázquezDiego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
, Goya
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
, El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
and Zurbarán
Francisco Zurbarán
Francisco de Zurbarán was a Spanish painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes...
.