José Álvarez Cubero (23 April 176826 November 1827) was a Spanish sculptor in the neoclassical style. He spent a large part of his career in Paris and Rome.

Biography

José Álvarez de Pereira y Cubero was born at

Priego de Córdoba Priego de Córdoba is a town and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It lies on the southeasternmost end of the province of Córdoba, near the headwater of the Guadajoz, and on the northern slope of the Sierr ...

on 23 April 1768, the son of a stonemason. He spent all his spare time drawing and modelling. He was taught by the French sculptor Miguel Verdiguier at Cordova, and at the Academy of San Fernando in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. In 1799 Charles IV awarded him a pension of 12,000 reals to visit Paris and Rome. In 1804 he executed a statue of Ganymede while in Paris, now in the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

, which gained him immediate recognition as a leading sculptor. His pension was doubled and he left for Rome, where he stayed until within a year of his death. While in Paris Álvarez married Elizabeth Bougel, by whom he had a son in 1805. This son, Don Jose Alvarez y Bougel, also distinguished himself as a sculptor and a painter but died at Burgos before reaching the age of twenty-five. His refusal to recognize

Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte (born Giuseppe di Buonaparte, ; ; ; 7 January 176828 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806–1808), an ...

as King of Spain led to his imprisonment in Rome.Parry, Melanie (1997) ''Chambers Biographical Dictionary - Centenary Edition'', Chambers, , p. 49 After his release he was employed by

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

to decorate the

Quirinal Palace The Quirinal Palace ( ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, the main official residence of the President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporziano, an estate on the outs ...

. In 1816 he was appointed court sculptor to

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

. One of the most successful works of the elder Álvarez was a group representing Antilochus and Memnon, which was commissioned in marble (1818) by Ferdinand VII. It is now in the museum of Madrid. He also modelled a few portrait busts (Ferdinand VII., Rossini, the duchess of Alba), which are remarkable for their vigour and fidelity. After his return to Madrid, he taught at the Academy of San Fernando, where one of his pupils was the young

Ponciano Ponzano Ponciano Ponzano y Gascón (19 January 1813 – 15 September 1877) was a Spanish neoclassical sculptor. A prolific artist, in his day he was highly esteemed. His work is now largely forgotten, although it can still be seen in many public locations ...

(1813–1877), later to become one of the most famous of Spanish neoclassical sculptors of his day. Álvarez died in Madrid on 26 November 1827.

Gallery

File:Ganímedes (José Álvarez Cubero) MRABASF 01.jpg, Ganymede, 1804 File:Isabel de Braganza (J. Álvarez Cubero) 01.jpg,

Maria Isabel of Portugal Maria Isabel of Braganza (Maria Isabel Francisca de Assis Antónia Carlota Joana Josefa Xavier de Paula Micaela Rafaela Isabel Gonzaga; 19 May 1797 – 26 December 1818) was a Portuguese infanta who became Queen of Spain as the second wife of ...

(1797–1818), sculpted in a Neoclassicist style. ca. 1826 File:Madrid Museo Del Prado Accueil Statues - panoramio.jpg, The defense of Zaragoza, 1825

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez-Cubero, Jose 1768 births 1827 deaths 19th-century Spanish sculptors 19th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male sculptors People from Subbética