Background
Lázaro was born in 1862 in Beire, Navarre.
Lázaro was born in 1862 in Beire, Navarre.
He studied Law and Philosophy in Seville and Madrid before taking office in 1883 at the Bank of Spain in Barcelona.
He was described in 1940 as "one of the greatest patrons of culture in nineteenth century Spain". At the time of his death, his collection numbered some 12,600 pieces, mostly from the Old Master and Romantic periods - he had little interest in the Modernists. However, his talent and ability in art appreciation and journalism soon took his career in another direction.
He befriended Emilia Pardo Bazán who introduced him to the leading Spanish intellectuals of the time.
In 1889, he co-founded the review España Moderna with Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo and a number of leading Spanish critics. This was followed by the launch of the Revista Internacional.
A review that featured Spanish, French, English and German writers. She accompanied him on his frequent travels across Europe, Africa and North and South America seeking art objects.
In 1921, he was elected president of the International congress of History of Artist
He spent the years of the Spanish Civil War in exile, first in Paris and later New York, where he continued to collect art works. He returned to Madrid following the end of the conflict. Since Lázaro"s death his home in Calle Serrano, a fashionable street in Madrid, has been adapted to serve as a museum to house his collections.
The museum is open to the public and includes works by Bosch, Velázquez, Goya, El Greco and Zurbarán.
Lázaro was a member of the Athenæum of Madrid and served on the board of trustees at the Museo del Prado.