Bay Sala

"BAY SALA"; JUAN BAYÓN SALADO (Logroño, 1913 - Bilbao, 1995).
"The main street, Ibarra", Orozco.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner. Signed, titled and located on the back.
It presents damages in the frame.
Measurements: 60 x 81 cm; 80 x 102 x 5 cm (frame).

Juan Bay Sala moved to Bilbao when he was a child, in 1918. From the thirties he will install his easel in the Bilbao Arenal, where he paints and raffles his paintings among the assistants in order to help his parents. He signs then as Bayón, and soon becomes an institution of the place. In 1941 he held his first exhibition in Bilbao, and the following year he also exhibited in Zaragoza, using for the first time the pseudonym Bay Sala in the signature of his works. That same year he also exhibited in Logroño and Bilbao. In 1943 he takes part in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, and holds exhibitions in Barcelona and Bilbao. Two years later he takes part again in the National Exhibition, and takes part in the First Provincial Exhibition of Fine Arts of Bilbao, obtaining the gold medal of the City Council. Since then he will not take part in any more contests, although he will continue to hold exhibitions of his work. In 1945 he was a founding member of the Biscayan Artistic Association, and in 1948 he took part in a collective exhibition in Buenos Aires. In 1950 he went to Paris, where he took up residence until the end of 1969, in search of the roots of impressionism. During these years he exhibited regularly in the French capital, and also showed his work in Buenos Aires and Tokyo. On his return to Spain he continued his unstoppable rise, exhibiting in various countries and taking an active part in Bilbao's cultural life. He is currently represented at the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao and the Museo de San Telmo in San Sebastian, among others.