Félix Mestres

FÉLIX MESTRES BORREL (Barcelona, 1872 - 1933).
"Lady", 1896.
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated and dedicated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 49 x 33 cm; 70 x 56 cm (frame).

Félix Mestres was formed in the School of La Lonja of Barcelona, and in 1887 he obtained a scholarship to extend his studies in Paris and Madrid. In 1893 he won a chair at the School of Fine Arts in Palma de Mallorca. In 1901 he was transferred to Barcelona to occupy the chair of decorative painting at the School of Fine Arts, of which he was appointed director in 1929. Throughout his career the quality of his work was recognized with various awards, including the third medal at the National Exhibition in Madrid in 1897, second medal in Barcelona in 1896 and again at the National Exhibition in Madrid in 1912, and first medal at the National Exhibition in Barcelona in 1911 and Valencia in 1919. He also took part in competitions held abroad, winning awards in Paris and Brussels. Mestres also excelled as a decorator, and belonged to the Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi and the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona. His works can be found in the Museums of Contemporary Art of Barcelona and Madrid, in Paris and Brussels, and even in the United States and New Zealand.