Benito Quinquela Martín (March 1, 1890 – January 28, 1977) was an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

. 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 An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

with a note that stated "This kid has been baptized, and his name is Benito Juan Martín". From his physical appearance, the

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s 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

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's surname (which would later be hispanized as ''Quinquela''). At the age of 14 he attended a modest night school of art in

La Boca La Boca (; "the Mouth", probably of the Matanza River) is a neighborhood (''Barrios of Buenos Aires, barrio'') of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Its location near the Port of Buenos Aires meant the neighbourhood became a melting pot of ...

while working during day on the family's

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-yard. When he turned 17 years old he joined the Pezzini Stiattesi Conservatory, where he stayed until 1912.

International exhibitions

By 1910 he had started appearing in small art exhibitions, mainly in and around

. He obtained the second prize on the ''Salón Nacional'' ('' Spanish'', "National Exhibition") in 1920. After an exhibition at

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...

in the same year, he was sent as the Argentine representative to an exhibition in

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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

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of the Argentine

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. In April 1923 he exhibited at the

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. 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

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because—in his own words—''"My trip to France is owed to

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Alvear, who liked my work and wanted them to be judged by

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"''. The Musée du Luxembourg acquired ''Tormenta en el astillero''. In 1927 he left for

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, where he arrived Benito on board the SS American Legion on January 17, 1928. According to immigration records he was able to read and write in Spanish, Italian and French. According to The New York Times, his paintings were shown for the first time in the United States at the Anderson Galleries. Accounts say two paintings were bought by "Mr. Havemeyer", who donated them to the

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...

of New York. After this exhibition he made several others under

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Georgette Blandi's tutelage. Before returning to Buenos Aires, he was invited to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Conde Ribero to exhibit there. On 1929, on a trip to

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, he had an exhibition at the

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. The Museum of Modern Art of Rome acquired several paintings which were chosen by

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

during the display. Quinquela Martín made his last trip in 1930, to

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, where he exhibited at the Burlington Gallery. Several British museums acquired his paintings, including the Museum of Arts of London, Museum of Birmingham,

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and St. James's Palace.

Works

Quinquela was a prolific painter throughout his life. Over the decades his style evolved. His early works, pre-1925 are less refined than his work after his return from Europe and New York. His port paintings from the 1930's and 1940's are amongst his best. In his later years, his work once again took on an original style, somewhat simplified images, with colors more muted.

Later life and death

Back at home, he became a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and donated several works to La Boca and the city of Buenos Aires. He also bought the land, and donated the money to build a school, a Children's Dental Hospital, a place where women breast-fed orphaned children, and his home to be used as a museum. On March 15, 1974, at the age of 84, he married his lifelong assistant, Alejandrina Marta Cerruti. He died on January 28, 1977, in Buenos Aires, of heart complications, and was buried in

La Chacarita Cemetery The La Chacarita Cemetery (, also known as "Cementerio del Oeste") is a cemetery located in the Chacarita neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Occupying an area of 95 hectare, it is the largest in the country.La Boca La Boca (; "the Mouth", probably of the Matanza River) is a neighborhood (''Barrios of Buenos Aires, barrio'') of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Its location near the Port of Buenos Aires meant the neighbourhood became a melting pot of ...

.Con la sangre en La Boca

Famous works

Among his most famous works are: ''Tormenta en el Astillero'' ( Musée du Luxembourg,

), ''Puente de la Boca'' ( St. James's Palace,

) and ''Crepúsculo en el astillero'' ( Museo de Bellas Artes de la Boca Quinquela Martín, Buenos Aires).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinquela Martin, Benito 1890 births 1977 deaths Painters from Buenos Aires Argentine male painters Argentine modern painters Argentine landscape painters Burials at La Chacarita Cemetery