81 - FRANCISCO SANS CASTAÑO (Barcelona, 1868–1937)

FRANCISCO SANS CASTAÑO (Barcelona, 1868–1937) “Woman with a Bouquet of Flowers.” Oil on canvas. There is a patch on the back. Signed in the lower left corner. Measurements: 65 x 50 cm; 85 x 69 cm (frame). Francisco Sans Castaño was a Spanish painter trained at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where he studied under the painter José Serra Porson. He was particularly noted as a portraitist, although he also painted still lifes, flowers, landscapes, and genre scenes. His style is rooted in the Catalan realist tradition of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with a special emphasis on drawing, detail, and the naturalistic depiction of figures. He participated in various National Fine Arts Exhibitions, receiving an honorable mention in 1887, and was awarded third prize at the 1911 Barcelona World’s Fair. He exhibited at major art venues, such as the Sala Parés (1918) and the Salón El Siglo (1923 and 1925), and participated in the Salón Witcomb in Buenos Aires in 1907 and 1908. He also worked as an illustrator for publications and books, including *La tierra catalana* (1905). Among his most notable portraits are those of Àngel Guimerà and Alfonso XIII. His work is represented in the collections of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the Víctor Balaguer Museum Library, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid. It has a patch on the back.