Pablo Salinas

Private collection
Sale: Christie's New York, 27 October 2004, lot 36

Born in Madrid in 1871, Salinas began his artistic studies at the Escuela Especial de Pintura Escultura y Grabado in Madrid, where he excelled. His first work was presented in the exhibition organized by the Asociacion de Escritores y Artistas in 1885. By 1886, the artist had moved to Rome, where he lived until 1883, along with his brother Augustin, as part of the enclave of Spanish artists in Rome.

Characterized by bravura brushwork, intricate detail and sparkling surfaces, his paintings harken back to the 18th-century in costume and ambiance, recreating a lost world of lavish interiors and opulent luxury.