Benito Quinquela Martin 1890

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Benito Quinquela Martin 1890-1977
Born: 01 March 1890; La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died: 28 January 1977; Buenos Aires
Field: painting
Nationality: Argentinean
Art Movement: Impressionism
Genre: marina
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Benito Quinquela Martín (March 1, 1890 – January 28, 1977)
was an Argentine painter born in La Boca, Buenos Aires.
Quinquela Martín is considered the port painter-par-excellence
and one of the most popular Argentine painters. His paintings of
port scenes show the activity, vigor and roughness of the daily
life in the port of La Boca.
Early years
His birthday could not be determined precisely as he was
abandoned on March 20, 1890 at an orphanage with a note that
stated "This kid has been baptized, and his name is Benito Juan
Martín". From his physical appearance, the nuns who found him
deduced that he should be around twenty days old; thus March 1
is regarded as his birthday.
Adopted by Manuel and Justina Molina de Chinchella when he
was seven years old, he adopted his stepfather's surname (which
would later be hispanized as Quinquela).
At the age of 14 he attended a modest night school of drawing in
La Boca while working during day on the family's coal-yard.
When he became 17 years old he joined the Pezzini Stiatessi
Conservatory, where he stayed until 1912.
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International Exhibitions
By 1910 he had started appearing small art exhibitions, mainly
in and around La Boca. He obtained the second prize on the
Salón Nacional (Spanish, "National Exhibition") in 1920. After
an exhibition at Mar del Plata in the same year, he was sent as
the Argentine representative to an exhibition in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil attended by local personalities including Brazilian
president Epitacio Pessoa.
By the 1920s Marcelo T. de Alvear and his wife were very fond
of Quinquela Martín's works, and this admiration led to a lasting
friendship. In 1922, Quinquela Martín was assigned as
chancellor of the Argentine Madrid Consulate in Spain. On
April, 1923 he exhibited at the Círculo de Bellas Artes of
Madrid. Two of his works were acquired by the institution
(Buque en reparación and Efecto de Sol), while another two
were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art of Madrid.
In 1925 he set sail for France because—in his own words—"My
trip to France is owed to President Alvear, who liked my works
and wanted them to be judged by Paris". The Musée du
Luxembourg acquired Tormenta en el astillero.
On 1927 he left for New York City, where he put part of his
work on display at the Anderson Galleries. Accounts say two
paintings were bought by "Mr. Havemeyer", who donated them
to the Metropolitan Museum of New York. After this exhibition
he made several others under sculptor Georgette Blandi's
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tutelage. Before returning to Buenos Aires, he was invited to
Havana by Conde Ribero to exhibit there.
On 1929, on a trip to Italy, he made an exhibition at the Palazzo
delle Esposizioni in Rome. The Museum of Modern Art of
Rome acquired several paintings which were chosen by Benito
Mussolini during the display. Quinquela Martín made his last
trip in 1930, to London, where he exhibited at the Burlington
Gallery. Several British museums acquired his paintings,
including the Museum of Arts of London, Museum of
Birmingham, Sheffield, Swansea, Cardiff, New Zealand and St.
James's Palace.
Late life and death
Back in his homeland, he became a philanthropist and donated
several works to La Boca and the city of Buenos Aires. He also
bought the lands and donated the money to build a school, a
Children's Dental Hospital, a place where women feed-breasted
orphan children- a kindergarten nowadays- and a museum,
which used to be also his home when he was alive. Of course,
the museum was then on the first and second floor and his house
on the third. On March 15, 1974, at the age of 84, he married his
lifelong secretary, Alejandrina Marta Cerruti. He died on
January 28, 1977, in Buenos Aires, of heart complications, and
was buried in the La Chacarita Cemetery. He was buried in a
coffin painted by him the previous year, stating that "Que quien
vivió rodeado de color no puede ser enterrado en una caja lisa",
meaning "He who lived surrounded by colors cannot be buried
in a flat box." On the cover of the coffin was a painting of the
port of La Boca.[1] His wife, being the only heiress, inherited of
all his belongings.
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Famous works
Among his most famous works are: Tormenta en el Astillero
(Musée du Luxembourg, Paris), Puente de la Boca (St. James's
Palace, London) and Crepúsculo en el astillero (Museo de
Bellas Artes de la Boca Quinquela Martín, Buenos Aires).
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