Gaspar Becerra

Background

Gaspar was born in 1520 at Baeza in Andalusia, Spain.

Education

Becerra studied at Rome, it is said under Michelangelo.

Career

Becerra assisted Vasari in painting the hall of the Concelleria. He also contributed to the anatomical plates of Valverde. After his return to Spain he was extensively employed by Philip II, and decorated many of the rooms in the palace at Madrid with frescoes. He also painted altar-pieces for several of the churches, most of which have been destroyed. His fame as a sculptor almost surpassed that as a painter. His best work was a magnificent figure of the Virgin, which was destroyed during the French war. He became court painter at Madrid in 1563, and played a prominent part in the establishment of the fine arts in Spain.

Achievements

• His chief work is a statue of the Virgin made by order of his great patroness, Isabella de Valois.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Juan Valverde de Amusco : "Male Figure with Skin Removed" (1566) — Giclee Fine Art Print

    (An anatomical illustration from Juan Valverde de Amusco's...)

References

• Pedro Rubiales, Gaspar Becerra y Los Pintores Espanoles En Roma, 1527-1600 (Spanish Edition)