68 - AGUSTÍN ALEGRE MONTFERRER (Santa Eulalia del Campo, Teruel, 1936–2024).

AGUSTÍN ALEGRE MONTFERRER (Santa Eulalia del Campo, Teruel, 1936–2024). “Backlight, Alcocebre, Castellón,” 1975. Oil on canvas. Signed, dated, and titled on the reverse. Measurements: 65 x 50 cm; 100 x 84 cm (frame). The composition depicts a coastal landscape of Alcocebre (Castellón), in which the artist pays special attention to the effects of light and the luminous hallmarks characteristic of the backlighting technique. The scene stands out for its atmospheric treatment, the interplay of light and shadow, and the naturalistic depiction of the Mediterranean setting—elements that reveal his interest in capturing reality and the chromatic nuances of the landscape. A painter of landscapes, still lifes, and Oriental figures, Agustín Alegre studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Teruel and at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts in Valencia, a city with which he has been associated since the beginning of his career. In fact, he has exhibited there regularly for the past thirty years at the Segrelles del Pilar Gallery. Throughout his long career, Alegre has received numerous awards, including the Goerlich Prize from the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Valencia (1955), the Senyera Prize for Painting from the City of Valencia (1957), the Teruel Provincial Council Award at the Second Tagus Biennial (Toledo, 1972), the First Prize for Painting at the 23rd Exhibition of African Painters in Madrid (1973), the Galerías Preciados and Madrid City Council Awards at the 14th and 15th San Isidro Exhibitions (Madrid, 1977 and 1978), the Gold Medal for Fine Arts (Segrelles del Pilar Gallery, Valencia, 1978), the Bernardo Zapater First National Prize for Drawing (Albarracín, 1983), and the First National Medal for Painting at the 51st Madrid Autumn Salon (1984). More recently, he has received the Medal for Cultural Merit, awarded by the Provincial Council of Aragon, the Gold Medal from Los Amantes de Teruel, and the City’s Gold Medal awarded by the City Council of Teruel, which in 2004 commissioned him to create a work as a wedding gift for the Prince and Princess of Asturias. Since 1996, he has been a member of the Royal Academy of Nobles and Fine Arts of San Luis in Zaragoza, and has exhibited throughout Spain as well as in Milan, Florence, Brescia, and Paris. His works are currently represented in the Museum of Fine Arts in Zaragoza, the Pablo Gargallo Museum, and other collections, both public and private.