Joaquín Sorolla's Luminous Oeuvre Celebrated in Toulouse Exhibition
The Fondation Bemberg in Toulouse presents 'Joaquín Sorolla. Maître de la lumière' from April 30 to September 13, 2026, featuring 60 works from the Museo Sorolla in Madrid. The exhibition, co-curated by Ana Debenedetti and Enrique Varela Agüí, focuses on the Spanish painter's seaside scenes, portraits, and garden paintings, highlighting his mastery of light and color. Sorolla (1863–1923), a native of Valencia, was a star in Spain and internationally by 1900, winning a prize at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris and exhibiting nearly 500 works at Galerie Georges Petit in 1906. Despite this, he remains little known in France. The show includes intimate works like 'Mère' (1895–1901) and 'notas de color' small oils, and features a scenography by Hubert Le Gall with wooden masts and oblique display walls. Sorolla's style blends realism, impressionism, and luminism, influenced by Velázquez. He painted en plein air on beaches, even large canvases, leaving sand grains on some works. His later garden paintings, inspired by the Alhambra and Andalusian patios, reflect his passion for vegetation and architecture. Sorolla suffered a stroke in 1920 while painting in his Madrid garden and died three years later.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Joaquín Sorolla. Maître de la lumière' runs from April 30 to September 13, 2026 at Fondation Bemberg, Toulouse.
- 60 works on loan exclusively from Museo Sorolla, Madrid, which holds 1,500 paintings and 5,000 drawings by the artist.
- Co-curated by Ana Debenedetti (director of Collection Bemberg) and Enrique Varela Agüí (director of Museo Sorolla).
- Sorolla won a prize at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris and exhibited nearly 500 works at Galerie Georges Petit in 1906.
- He was a star in Spain by age 37 and had a successful New York show in 1909, but remains little known in France.
- Sorolla painted en plein air on beaches, using large wooden trestles; sand grains are still found on some canvases.
- The exhibition includes intimate works like 'Mère' (1895–1901) and small 'notas de color' oils.
- Scenography by artist and designer Hubert Le Gall features wooden masts and oblique display walls.
- Sorolla's garden paintings, from 1907 onward, focus on vegetation, architecture, and pools, inspired by the Alhambra and Andalusian patios.
- Sorolla suffered a stroke in 1920 while painting in his Madrid garden and died in 1923.
Entities
Artists
- Joaquín Sorolla
- Diego Velázquez
- Berthe Morisot
- Claude Monet
- Hubert Le Gall
Institutions
- Fondation Bemberg
- Museo Sorolla
- Galerie Georges Petit
- Hispanic Society of America
- Collection Bemberg
- Beaux Arts Magazine
Locations
- Toulouse
- France
- Valencia
- Spain
- Madrid
- Paris
- New York
- Biarritz
- Zarautz
- La Granja
- Alcázar
- Seville
- Alhambra
- Grenada
- Andalusia
- Aix-en-Provence
- Place d'Assezat
- 31000 Toulouse