19th-20th Century Spanish

Born in 1844 in Seville into a humble family. In 1862, in defiance of his father’s wishes, he entered as an apprentice in the studio of José María Romero (1816-1894) while also enrolling at the School of Fine Arts of Seville. From the beginning of his career he demonstrated great skill and decided to move to Madrid to further his training.

In 1867 Villegas y Cordero settled in the Spanish capital. He became a regular visitor to the Prado museum, where he painted copies, mostly of the works of Velázquez. He adopted the free-flowing and spontaneous brushwork of the latter, as well as his personal study of light and colour. He met Mariano Fortuny (1838-1874), whose influence would remain crucial throughout his career. The impact of a trip to Morocco led him towards an orientalising aesthetic which would inspire later works.

In 1868, the artist moved to Rome, where he would remain for thirty-three years. There he enjoyed great celebrity and received important commissions from private collectors. On the demise of Fortuny in 1874, Villegas became into the most important Spanish artist in Rome, a positon he consolidated in 1898 when he was appointed director of the Academia Española de Bellas Artes, a post he kept until his return to Spain in 1901.

Back in Madrid, he was appointed director of the Prado museum, a position he maintained until 1918, as well as a member of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His painting was in great demand from Madrid’s high society, a prestige that was further endorsed in 1902 and again in 1906 when he was entrusted with painting the portrait of King Alfonso XIII (1886-1941).

Towards the end of his life Villegas’s sight deteriorated and he was forced to give up painting. He died in Madrid on 9 November 1921.