Nestor Martin Fernandez de la Torre 1910

Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre, generally known simply as Néstor (4 May 1887,

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...

– 6 February 1938, Las Palmas) was a Canarian painter and theatrical designer who worked in the

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

and

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styles.

Biography

He began his artistic development at the age of seven, when he attended the "Colegio San Agustín" and was given drawing lessons by Nicolás Massieu (1876–1954), who would later become a well-known painter. In 1899, he received his first formal art instruction from the peripatetic Spanish landscape painter Eliseu Meifrèn. When still only fifteen, he received a grant from the city of Las Palmas to study in Madrid, but the entrance exams for the

Academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

were too difficult, so he taught himself by making copies in the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

. He eventually found a position in the workshop of . He then travelled extensively, visiting París, Brussels and London, among other places, to perfect his technique. While in Paris, he also designed theater sets and clothing. He established a studio in Barcelona in 1907 and his first exhibition came in 1908, at the "Círculo Ecuestre", a sporting and social club, where he displayed a series of portraits, influenced by his stay in England. The following year, he presented four decorative panels at the Sala Parés, which he had designed for the dance hall in

Tibidabo Tibidabo () is a hill overlooking Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. At , it is the tallest hill in the Serra de Collserola. Rising sharply to the north-west, it has views over the city and the surrounding coastline. The summit of the hill is occupi ...

, inspired by the poems of Jacinto Verdaguer. He continued to exhibit widely, in Paris and London, as well as Madrid. In 1915, he had his solo début as a theatrical designer, creating sets and costumes for a production of '' El amor brujo'' by

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20t ...

in Madrid. He moved his studios to Paris in 1928 and did more designing for ballets, operas and other productions, including costumes for Cécile Sorel,

Grace Moore Mary Willie Grace Moore (December 5, 1898January 26, 1947) was an American operatic lyric soprano and actress in musical theatre and film.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', January 29, 1947, page 48. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee N ...

and Conchita Supervía. After more travelling, including excursions through the Spanish colonies in Africa, he returned to Las Palmas and established a studio there in 1934. In addition to his paintings, he decorated the "Casino de Tenerife" in Santa Cruz and the "Teatro Pérez Galdós" in Las Palmas and initiated a campaign to promote tourism, which he called "Tipismo" (picturesqueness). He died suddenly, from complications related to pneumonia, leaving several major projects unfinished. Hercules nestor

In 1956, the "Museo Néstor" was inaugurated in the city centre of Las Palmas. It is located in the "Pueblo Canario", a cultural complex designed by his brother, , an architect. The complex includes decorations by Néstor and contains the majority of his works.

References

External links

Museo Néstor
homepage. * Interview with Daniel Montesdeoca, Director of the Museo Néstor o
Croma Cultura
* Biography by Daniel Montesdeoca García-Sáenz @ the Teatro Pérez Galdós website, including a selection of photograph

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin-Fernandez de la Torre, Nestor 1887 births 1938 deaths People from Las Palmas Scenic designers Spanish costume designers Artists from the Canary Islands 20th-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male painters

Biography

References

Further reading

External links