90 - EMILIO SIVILLÀ TORRES (Barcelona, 1845 – Tangier, Morocco, 1894).

EMILIO SIVILLÀ TORRES (Barcelona, 1845 – Tangier, Morocco, 1894). “Landscape.” Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower left corner. Measurements: 43 x 78.5 cm Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A painter of Orientalist landscapes, particularly of Tangier, Emilio Sivillà spent half his life in North Africa. He began his artistic training in 1861, studying painting and drawing at the La Llotja School in Barcelona. He participated in the 1866 Barcelona Exhibition, where one of his studies was acquired by the Academy of Fine Arts for the Provincial Museum. He also participated in the 1870 edition. During these years, he was still working on a wide range of subjects, including ship paintings. In 1875, documentary sources indicate that he sold all his belongings to move to Morocco, where he was able to experience life in the exotic East firsthand. In Tangier, he painted not only inland landscapes and seascapes but also depicted daily life, local characters, and customs. He always maintained ties with his hometown, as evidenced by his participation in the city’s 1888 World’s Fair. Four years earlier, he had also participated in the National Fine Arts Exhibition in Barcelona, and in 1887 he took part in the exhibition held at the San Sebastián building in the same city. Recognition of his work did not end with his death but culminated in the display of several of his works at the major exhibition of paintings by the great Catalan masters held in 1931 at the Galerías Layetanas in Barcelona. Given the commercial success of his work during his lifetime, most of it is preserved today in private collections, although his work can also be viewed in museums such as the Maritime Museum of Barcelona.