19th-20th Century Spanish

Born in Madrid on 28 April 1874 to a family with a long tradition in the arts, Enrique was the son of the renowned history painter Salvador Martínez Cubells (1845-1914), with whom he started to learn his craft at a very early age. In 1892 he continued his training at the School of Arts and Crafts of Madrid under Emilio Sala Francés (1850-1910) and Antonio Muñoz Degrain (1840-1924), among other teachers.

In 1897 he started to submit his works to the , and would continue to do so assiduously afterwards. That same year he won a third class medal that would be followed by a second class one in 1899 and 1901, and a first class medal in 1904. Despite the distinctions won, he did not receive the general acclaim of Spanish art critics until later.

In 1899 and 1900 he travelled throughout Europe, a journey which would prove to be a turning point in his career. He settled in Munich, where he had Heinrich von Zügel (1850-1941) as his tutor. In 1903 he visited the Netherlands and was influenced by The Hague School. This experience led to a shift in his subject matters and now he began to focus on the lives of peasants and fishermen, while also engaging with landscapes, with a special predilection for seascapes.

After that sojourn he travelled to Brittany in France. There he discovered the beauty of coastal and harbour landscapes and became interested in the reflection of light on water and in the effect of changing light. From 1905 to 1907 he travelled through some regions of Italy and painted a series of Venetian views.

In 1904 he exhibited his work at the 3rd Exhibition of Spanish Contemporary Painting in Buenos Aires, the first of his many exhibitions outside Spain. His achievements include a Gold Medal at the 1909 Munich International Exhibition and an Honorary Medal at the 1912 Amsterdam International Exhibition. His inclusion in shows abroad gave him an opportunity to travel to America for the first time in 1910-1911.

His international success helped Martínez Cubells to eventually win the prestige he deserved in Spain. He won the Gold Medal at the 1912 National Exhibition with La vuelta de la pesca and in 1923 he exhibited at the Spanish Pavilion in the Venice Biennale. In 1929 the artist was appointed a member of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, evident proof of his well consolidated career.

Martínez Cubells died in 1947 in Malaga of a heart attack. At the moment of his death he was holder of important distinctions that bear witness to his reputation: Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholica and of the Civil Order of Alfonso XII, and Knight of the Order of St. Michael (Bavaria).