Overview
A native of Barcelona, Laureano Barrau Buñol was born into a middle-class family. He began his training at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where he was a disciple of Antonio Caba. He subsequently broadened his training in Madrid by studying Spanish old masters at the Prado Museum.
In 1884, the City Council of Barcelona awarded him a grant to further his painting skills in Rome. However, with the money from the grant Barrau instead moved to Paris, where he entered the Academie des Beaux-Arts under the tutelage of Jean-Léon Gérôme. A year later, now in Rome to study the Italian masters, he began sending his notable works home to the prominent Sala Parés in Barcelona, where his paintings were exhibited regularly.
In 1909, he moved to Buenos Aires, and for the next two years his works enjoyed success equal to that of Spain and greater Europe.
Finally, at age 47, Barrau moved with his wife to the Spanish island of Ibiza and settled in the town of Santa Eulalia del Rio. Here he remained for the rest of his life and painted what is considered his best work. He died in 1957 at the age of 94 and is buried in the cemetery in Santa Eulalia.
A Societaire of the Paris Salon and a prize recipient at International Exhibitions in Barcelona, Brussels, and Madrid, Barrau made an enduring name for himself in his lifetime. Today his works hang in museums around the world.