BILBAO.- Since its inception in 1908, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum has significantly expanded its collections through donations and legacies. This method of acquisition has persisted over time, becoming a hallmark of the institution: more than 60% of the artworks in the museum's artistic heritage have been bequeathed or donated by individuals, institutions, and corporate entities.

In this historical lineage, Begoña María Azkue added her contribution last year, formalizing a legacy to the museum with the stipulation that it be dedicated entirely to the acquisition of artworks to enhance the collection.

The first acquisition from this legacy was the oil painting El voto en Sainte-Anne d’Auray (c. 1870), a significant work by French academic painter William Bouguereau, which enriched the museum’s 19th-century collection. Acquired at the Ansorena auction house in Madrid in January 2023 for €165,466, the painting was unveiled to the public in November of that year.

Now, the museum announces the second addition acquired at the Giquello auction held at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris in December 2023 for €54,600. This piece is the Retrato de Erik Satie, painted in Paris by Ignacio Zuloaga around 1893-1894. This acquisition enhances the notable collection of ten paintings by the Basque artist held by the museum, which includes works such as Retrato del conde de Campo Alegre (c. 1892), La dama de la sombrilla (c. 1895-1897), and Desnudo de mujer (c. 1939).

Beyond its artistic significance, this new addition pays implicit homage to Begoña María Azkue, who had a profound passion for music.

The Painting

Retrato de Erik Satie is a significant work capturing the early production phase of Ignacio Zuloaga, reflecting a period when artworks by the artist are scarcely available in the market. The canvas documents a time when Zuloaga’s painting showed the influence of Eugène Carrière, transitioning from the naturalism of Impressionist palettes to a more restrained chromatic scheme and chiaroscuro lighting, aligning him with symbolism. The portrait features a bust of the young Satie in an indeterminate interior, his profile illuminated softly, adorned with the bohemian attire typical of Montmartre—a long beard, flowing hair, pince-nez glasses, and a frock coat. This attire predates the green corduroy “uniform” Satie would adopt from 1895 onwards.

Zuloaga created this portrait during his early career at the age of 23 while striving to complete his self-taught education amid the modern art scene of Paris. He mingled with a bohemian collective of poets, painters, and musicians, including a notable community of Basque and Catalan artists frequenting cafés and cabarets. Among his acquaintances was Pablo Uranga, with whom he shared residence on rue Cortot, near the painter Suzanne Valadon, who had a romantic liaison with Satie in 1893. By this time, Zuloaga had likely met Satie, who played the piano at the cabaret Le Chat Noir, a hub for artists like Ramón Casas and Santiago Rusiñol.

Zuloaga’s contemporaries—Valadon, Uranga, Casas, and Rusiñol—also portrayed Satie, who was already establishing himself as an exceptional talent. His influence would later extend to contemporaries such as Debussy and Ravel, reaching modern minimalists like John Cage and Steve Reich. Satie was also depicted by avant-garde artists like Cocteau, Picasso, Larionov, Goncharova, Brancusi, Man Ray, and Picabia. He composed the score for René Clair's experimental short film Entr’acte (1924), currently screened at the museum as a prelude to the exhibition Entreacto. His collaborations with Jean Cocteau and the celebrated Ballets Russes, led by Sergei Diaghilev, included the music for the ballet Parade (1917), featuring sets and costumes designed by Picasso.

This painting was a gift from Zuloaga to Satie, inscribed and dedicated “A mon cher ami Erik Satie.” Satie cherished the portrait until his passing in 1925.

Ignacio Zuloaga

Ignacio Zuloaga (Eibar, Gipuzkoa, 1870 - Madrid, 1945) achieved great commercial success and garnered numerous awards and distinctions throughout his career, establishing himself as one of the most renowned artists of his time. With an early self-taught background amidst a family of celebrated goldsmiths and ceramists, he discovered the Museo del Prado in 1887, where he studied Spanish masterpieces as a copyist.

In 1888, he traveled to Rome, spending over eight months in the city to enhance his artistic knowledge. A year later, in 1890, Zuloaga settled in Paris, attending the Académie de la Palette under the guidance of Henri Gervex, with Eugène Carrière as a teacher. In Paris, he experimented with a language derived from naturalism and symbolism, forming close ties with prominent painters such as Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, and Maxime Dethomas, alongside the significant colony of Basque and Catalan artists, particularly Pablo Uranga, Francisco Durrio, Miquel Utrillo, Ramón Casas, and Santiago Rusiñol.

His travels continued, and he began exhibiting at international salons, gaining fame and prestige with an iconography aligned with the vision of the Generation of '98, establishing him as an ambassador for Spanish painting in Europe. In 1899, he married Valentine Dethomas and maintained active engagement with influential artistic circles. His close friendships included sculptor Auguste Rodin and writers Ramón del Valle-Inclán, Miguel de Unamuno, Ramiro de Maeztu, Azorín, and José Ortega y Gasset.

In 1909, Zuloaga held a successful solo exhibition at the Hispanic Society of New York, receiving numerous commissions from American high society. Before the conclusion of World War I, he completed another tour of the United States between 1916 and 1917, solidifying his status in America.

In 1919, collector and patron Ramón de la Sota purchased Zuloaga’s renowned Retrato de la condesa Mathieu de Noailles, subsequently donating it to the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. His first individual exhibition in Spain was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII in 1926 at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Madrid, and in 1931, he was appointed president of the Patronato del Museo de Arte Moderno de Madrid.

From this point, Zuloaga’s painting underwent significant changes; no longer reliant on commissions, he dedicated more energy to portraying friends and family, as well as landscapes and still lifes. The Civil War found him at his home in Santiago Etxea in Zumaia (Gipuzkoa), devoted to his art.

With the onset of World War II and shifting societal tastes, his traditionalist work fell out of favor in the art market, and he became recognized as a master of Spanish painting.

Begoña María Azkue

Begoña María Azkue (Bilbao, 1944-2023) was born in Etxebarri in 1944 and led a culturally vibrant life, translating her personal passions into action.

Committed to the Basque language and culture, she was involved with the ikastola Urretxindorra (Bilbao), where she translated educational materials. Additionally, she actively participated in adult education classes at the University of Deusto.

Driven by her passion for culture in its broadest sense, Begoña traveled extensively, deepening her understanding of Semitic and Mediterranean cultures while attending significant musical events and international concerts.

A discreet individual, Begoña Azkue joined the Community of Friends of the Museum in 2020—a particularly delicate time during the pandemic. She reaffirmed her commitment by stipulating in her will that she wished to contribute to the enrichment of the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao’s collection, representing her final act of civic and cultural philanthropy.