60+ Sorolla Paintings Unite at Toulouse's Collection Bemberg

The exhibition 'Sorolla, maître de la lumière' at the Collection Bemberg in Toulouse brings together over sixty paintings by Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923), focusing on his post-1900 career with an emphasis on seascapes and gardens. Curated by Enrique Varela Agüi and Ana Debenedetti, the show spans two levels of the temporary exhibition space. The first floor is dedicated to beach scenes depicting fishermen and leisurely families at Valencia, Javea, and Biarritz. Notable works include the monumental 'Mère' (1895) and 'L’Ombre du bateau' (1903), where the boat's shadow becomes the subject. The exhibition skips Sorolla's early academic realism, instead highlighting his freer, more vibrant style after 1899. His palette brightened after returning to Spain, with luminous colors and rapid brushwork. Small 'notas de color' sketches capture children in waves and contrasts of sun-baked sand and boat shadows. Sorolla's success in Paris at Galerie Georges Petit in 1906 and in New York at the Hispanic Society in 1909 (attracting 160,000 visitors) is noted, as is the patronage of Archer Milton Huntington. The second part features society portraits, including Raquel Meller and a flamenco dancer, and ends with views of royal gardens (La Granja, Alcázar) and the Casa Sorolla, designed by architect Enrique María de Repullés y Vargas in 1911. The exhibition runs until September 13.