Biography:
Carlos Bécquer Domínguez
Barcelona, 1889 - 1968
Carlos Bécquer Domínguez was a painter, pickpocket and illustrator, born in Barcelona, with an artistic and creative life that led him to excel in different disciplines.
The grandson of the painter Valeriano Bécquer and nephew of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, although he was born in Barcelona, he lived in Seville until the age of seven, when he returned to Barcelona. Between the ages of eleven and eighteen he lived in Madrid, where he was taught by Rafael Arroyo. Although he studied at the Barcelona School of Fine Arts, he always considered himself self-taught, attributing his learning to his fondness for taking sketches from life in movement.
He mastered techniques such as oil, watercolour and gouache, and was also an outstanding penciller in his work as a draughtsman.
In 1907 he presented his Self-Portrait at the Self-Portrait Exhibition organised by the Real Cercle Artístic de Barcelona, winning prizes for altarpieces and Llotja.
From 1909 onwards he lived in Paris for twelve years, working as an illustrator for the Hachette publishing house and participating regularly in the Salons artistiques. He exhibited at the Prefecture des Beaux-Arts on the Boulevard Voltaire and then travelled to the Maghreb before returning to Barcelona.
He took part in the Barcelona Spring Exhibitions (1934-1935), winning prizes such as Barcelona vista pels seus artistes del Cercle Artístic. He exhibited at La Pinacoteca and the Sala Gaspar, among other places.
Specialising in animal drawing, he was noted for his exceptional graphic representations based on a profound knowledge of anatomy and a unique ability to capture movement.
His renown in animal drawing was so great that he was admitted as a member of the Noah’s Ark club, reserved for those with a surname that coincided with the name of an animal.
Carlos Bécquer Domínguez was an outstanding illustrator of children’s and young people’s books for the publishers Araluce and Bagués in Barcelona.
In addition to his artistic work, he taught painting and drawing, and contributed to popular children’s magazines until 1938, such as En Patufet, Virolet and Esquitx. His contribution to the artistic and literary world of children remains a fundamental part of his creative legacy.