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Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla wasn’t aware that he’d paint a sought-after masterpiece during his visit to Paris between 1889 and 1890. He also wasn’t aware that the work, titled Paris Boulevard (1890), would eventually be declared missing for more than a century.
Primarily lauded for his sprawling seascapes, idyllic beach scenes, and astounding mastery of light, Sorolla didn’t often veer toward moodier compositions as he did in Paris Boulevard. The painting depicts a bistro on the corner of a bustling Parisian street and is steeped in darker, cooler tones to reflect the dying sunlight. Sorolla even included a subtle self-portrait within the artwork: he holds a cigar while seated beside a soldier at one of the café’s tables.
When he returned to Spain in 1890, Sorolla showcased Paris Boulevard at the National Exhibition and, shortly thereafter, sold the painting to a private collector. Upon its purchase, the painting vanished and its provenance became murky.
“All the experts thought it had disappeared,” Ana de la Cueva, the president of Spain’s national heritage institution, told Antena 3 TV, “but a feat of investigation turned up some most unexpected results.”
Paris Boulevard was ultimately discovered to still be in the possession of the family who originally bought it in the 19th century. The remarkable painting is now one of 77 on display in a new solo exhibition by permission of the owners.
The exhibition, titled Sorolla, One Hundred Years of Modernity, traces the creative evolution of Sorolla across his career. It also marks the first time that Paris Boulevard has ever been exhibited publicly.
“The panoramic composition of [Paris Boulevard]—which is very photographic and which doesn’t worry about the figures who are cut off at each end—really grabs your attention and gives it a freshness that’s a taste of what Sorolla would go on to do more emphatically,” Blanca Pons-Sorolla, the exhibition’s curator and the artist’s great-granddaughter, says.
Sorolla, One Hundred Years of Modernity is currently on view at the Galería de las Colecciones Reales until February 16, 2025. To learn more about the exhibition, visit the Galería de las Colecciones Reales website.
Joaquín Sorolla’s Paris Boulevard painting has resurfaced after vanishing in 1890 and is now being shown publicly for the first time.
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Paris Boulevard is one of 77 other Sorolla paintings featured in a solo exhibition at the Galería de las Colecciones Reales in Spain.
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Sorolla was lauded for his stunning and idyllic beach scenes, cementing him as an iconic Spanish Impressionist.
Joaquín Sorolla, “Chicos en la playa” (“Boys on the Beach”), 1910. Oil on canvas (Photo: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Joaquín Sorolla, “La playa de Valencia” (“The Beach at Valencia”), 1908. Oil on canvas (Photo: Christie's via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Joaquín Sorolla, “Strolling Along the Seashore,” 1909. Oil on canvas (Photo: Google Cultural Institute via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
The rediscovery of Paris Boulevard by Joaquín Sorolla marks an exciting moment in art history and sheds light upon his earlier work completed in the 19th century.
Photograph of the Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla by Gertrude Käsebier, ca. 1908 (Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art, via Wikimedia Commons)
Exhibition information:
Sorolla, One Hundred Years of Modernity
October 17, 2024–February 16, 2025
Galería de las Colecciones Reales in Madrid, Spain
C. de Bailén, s/n, Centro, 28013
Galería de las Colecciones Reales: Website | Instagram | TikTok
Sources: Sorolla, one hundred years of modernity; Un ‘juego de espías' permite exponer en Madrid un cuadro de Sorolla nunca visto desde 1890: “Nos dieron 2 o 3 pistas”
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