Francisco Durrio de Madrón, known as Paco Durrio (22 May 1868,

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

- 30 August 1940,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a Spanish sculptor, ceramicist and goldsmith; of French descent. He worked in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

styles.

Life and work

His father was a basket maker from France and the family name was originally "Durrieu".''Paco: El mejor amigo de otros artistas''
@ Modernismo98y14 He received his initial training in

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

, then went to Madrid in 1881, where he trained with the sculptor, . In 1888, he moved to Paris; joining a group of artists centered around

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

and, from 1893 to 1895, sharing a studio with him. During this time, he was largely involved with ceramics. His first solo exhibit took place in 1896 and, in 1900, he participated in a major Modernist exhibition in Bilbao. In 1901, he moved into a studio in

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

, which was taken over by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

in 1904. That year, he built his own home nearby and installed a huge ceramic

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...

. He would live there until 1939. He helped Picasso create his first ceramic works in 1905. After 1905, he began work on a memorial to the composer,

Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philipp ...

but, rather than portraying the composer himself, he chose to depict the muse,

Melpomene Melpomene (; ) is the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. She is described as the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne (and therefore of power and memory) along with the other Muses, and she is often portrayed with a tragic theatrical mask. Etymolog ...

, playing a lyre. As a result, the statue was not erected until almost thirty years later, in 1933. Overall, the most positive criticism was reserved for his ceramics. He was also a devoted art collector; acquiring numerous works by his contemporaries, including a large number by Gauguin. He died poor and almost forgotten in a Paris hospital. In 1945, after the war, a major retrospective was held at the Salon d’Automne and a large selection of his jewelry went on display at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

in London. In 2013, the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao held another retrospective that included pieces from his art collection.

References

External links

More works by Durrio
@ Euskadi
More works by Durrio
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Durrio, Paco 1868 births 1940 deaths Spanish sculptors Spanish male sculptors Spanish ceramists Spanish people of French descent Spanish emigrants to France People from Valladolid

Life and work

References

Further reading

External links