Luis Alvarez Catala Painting Reproductions Gallery 1 of 1

Luis Álvarez Catalá (1836 – 4 October 1901) was a Spanish painter who specialized in historical scenes.

It is believed that he was born in Madrid to an Asturian family from Cangas de Narcea, where he spent his childhood summers. After completing his primary education in Oviedo, he returned to Madrid to enroll in the "Escuela Especial de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado" where he studied under Federico de Madrazo at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. In 1857, he received a scholarship to study in Rome. After spending four years there, he won a Gold Medal at the first National Exposition of Florence for his painting Calpurnia's Dream, which earned second place at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Spain in 1862. His scholarship was extended for three more years when Queen Isabel II purchased the painting.

He married in Rome and stayed there until 1894, except for occasional visits to Madrid. He continued to exhibit his works widely in Italy, Spain, and Germany, winning awards in 1889 and 1890. In 1894, he returned to Spain to become the Deputy Director of the Museo del Prado and four years later, was appointed as its Director by the Queen following the resignation of Francisco Pradilla.

As Director, he made several important acquisitions, including works by Francisco de Goya. He produced an illustrated catalog of the Velázquez collection and oversaw the installation of a statue of Velázquez by Aniceto Marinas in 1899. He continued to paint, mainly in the costumbrista style, and created scenes inspired by his youth in Northern Spain in his last years. Many of his later works are now in the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias. He passed away in Madrid.