GÁNDARA, Antonio de la

Born in Paris, France, in 1861 and died in the same city in 1917. Great-nephew of María Francisca de La Gándara de Calleja, Vicereine of New Spain. His father hailed from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and his mother was English. In March 1878, at the age of 17, he was admitted to the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His work caught the attention of Jean-Léon Gérôme and Cabanel, who soon recognized his talent at the 1883 Salon des Champs-Élysées. Just over a decade was enough for him to become one of the favorite artists of the Belle Époque Parisian elite. Around 1900, holding the Order of Isabella the Catholic and serving as an Officer of the Legion of Honor, he was at the peak of his fame, with his work highly sought after in Europe and the USA. His first exhibition in New York in 1898 was one of his greatest successes, establishing him as one of the masters of his era. He participated in major exhibitions in Paris, Brussels, Boston, Madrid, Berlin, Dresden, Venice, Barcelona, Vienna, and Zaragoza.