Antonio Ortiz Echague
Antonio Ortiz Echague - Daniela Spoto 2023, © CCIAA NU

Antonio Ortiz Echague

Antonio Ortiz Echague (b. 15 October 1883, Guadalajara, Spain–d. 8 January 1942, Buenos Aires) was a Spanish painter.

Brother of the photographer José Ortiz Echague, he received his early artistic training in Paris, where he studied at the Académie Julian in 1897 and then at the French Fine Arts Academy, in the studio of Bonnat.

Antonio Ortiz Echagüe, self-portrait, 1912
Antonio Ortiz Echagüe, self-portrait, 1912 - © Museo Reina Sofia - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ortiz-Selfportrait.jpg

In 1901, he moved to Rome, where he remained for one year, sharing a studio with Coco Madrazo. In 1903, he won a place at the Rome Academy, after receiving a prize at the Círculo de Bellas Artes exhibition in Madrid. 

Antonio Ortiz Echague, La festa della confraternita di Atzara
Antonio Ortiz Echague, La festa della confraternita di Atzara -

Between 1907 and 1912, he visited Sardinia, in particular Atzara, painting Sardinian subjects and connecting with the romantic painting of the time.
Of special note is the painting Fiesta de la confradia de Atzara, now in the San Telmo Museum in Donostia, Spain.

In 1912, he returned to Spain and one year later went to Argentina, where he became known as a portraitist. He held his first solo show in 1919, and from that point forward he was active in various countries, including the United States, Argentina and the Netherlands.
In 1933, he moved with his family to the Argentine pampas, where he lived until his death.

Antonio Ortiz Echague, Interni olandesi, 1920
Antonio Ortiz Echague, Interni olandesi, 1920 - © Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antonio_Ortiz_Echague_4_MNCARS.jpg
Atzara, Museo MAMA. The Spaniards Room
Atzara, Museo MAMA. The Spaniards Room - © CCIAA NU

The Atzara picture gallery was originally named after him and is now the Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea (MaMa).