Ángela Benlliure León

Ángela Benlliure León (Madrid, 1905-1990)

Ángela Benlliure was the only daughter of the painter Juan Antonio Benlliure Gil and Edmunda León Mejías. The Benlliure family was one of the best-known sagas of painters from Valencia in the late-nineteenth century, begun by her grandfather Juan Antonio Benlliure Tomás, a modest painter specialized in decorative painting, who introduced his children to art. His sons dedicated themselves professionally to art and all had long and successful careers: Blas, the eldest, specialized in still-life and flower painting; José was a painter; while Mariano Benlliure was a sculptor. Ángela’s father, Juan Antonio Benlliure, was one of the favourite painters of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie in Madrid in the late-nineteenth century.

Despite living in Madrid, Ángela remained in close contact with her family and with Valencia. In fact, she married Alberto Minguet Lerma, a lawyer from Valencia, but the marriage had no offspring. In 1970, when the Museum of Ceramics was in the midst of expansion, and owing to the close friendship between Manuel González Martí and the Benlliure family, she decided to make a donation of paintings, diplomas and furniture belonging to her father with the purpose of creating a room dedicated to his memory.

The room was arranged in such a way that it provided an overview of Juan Antonio’s life’s work. He had studied with his father and his brother José, in Madrid and in Rome, taking part in many different events. In the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1884 he was awarded a second-class medal for the painting For the Fatherland, [1] and another in 1892 for A Sinner [2]. The diplomas for both events were exhibited alongside family portraits, preparatory drawings and furniture.

On his return to Madrid he specialized in portraiture, and became one of the most highly sought-after painters by the bourgeoisie and aristocracy, as clearly evinced by the preparatory paintings [3] for portraits of the royal family preserved by the museum and on exhibit in the room alongside family portraits like those of the artist’s parents, his family and some of his daughter, of which, Portrait of his daughter Ángela Benlliure León, is on exhibit here, alongside the actual armchair in which she sat for the painting.

References

Bonet Solves, V. (1992). Tradición y modernidad en los retratos de Juan Antonio Benlliure Gil (1860-1931). Actas del congreso de historia del Arte CEHA (Comité Español de Historia del Arte). 465-471.

García Peiró, J. (en prensa). Conferencia: Manuel González Martí y los Benlliure. Un ejemplo de admiración y respeto. Revista Majòlica, (1), 65-77.

Vidal Corella, V. (2000). Los Benlliure y su época. Federico Domènech.

González Martí, M. (1971). El pintor Juan Antonio Benlliure, en el Museo de las Artes Suntuarias. Levante, 6 de junio de 1971.

Archivo del Museo Nacional de Cerámica, Correspondencia, 01057

Archivo del Museo Nacional de Cerámica, Correspondencia, 01058

Anónimo, Sala Juan Antonio Benlliure, Archivo fotográfico Museo Nacional de Cerámica y Artes Suntuarias ‘González Martí’.

GONZÁLEZ MARTÍ, Manuel. Relación de los donativos recibidos en el “Museo Nacional de Cerámica González Martí” durante el año 1955. Valencia, 1955-1971, (MS)

Various (1998). Los Benlliure: Retrato de familia = Els Benlliure: Retrat de familia. Valencia, Puerto de Valencia. Edificio del Reloj, 11/03/1998 - 19/04/1998. Valencia: Direcció General de Promoció Cultural, Museus i Belles Arts: Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana [etc.]

Magro, A. (1990). Exposición-homenaje a Juan Antonio Benlliure. Crevillente, Museo Mariano Benlliure, 19/04/1990 - 15/05/1990; Elche, Complejo Cultural San José, 21/03/1990 - 12/06/1990. Crevillente; Elche: Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo.

[1] Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia, on deposit from the Prado museum (inv. no. 1358).

[2] Private collection.

[3] Portrait of Queen Victoria Eugenia (CE4/00326 y CE4/00328), Portrait of Infanta María Cristina de Borbón (CE4/00327), Portrait of HRH Infanta Beatriz de Borbón (CE4/00329), Portrait of HRH Jaime de Borbón (CE4/00337).

María del Mar Amat de la Flor