Luis de Bertodano

Count of Barillas, son of Luis Bertodano y de la Cerda and brother of the Marchioness of Bárboles, Ana Bertodano. Of noble lineage, he was related to the Dukes of Veragua and Parcent. He was born in the 1860s, though the exact date is unknown. A painter of Cordoban and Basque landscapes and local customs, he was an active participant in numerous art exhibitions.

He began his professional training in the Madrid studio of Casto Plasencia y Maestro, a painter from Cañizar, Guadalajara. Bertodano went on to have a prolific career in the arts.

He participated in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts on six occasions, earning a second-class medal in his fourth appearance. In 1894, he received a third-class medal at the Fine Arts Exhibition in Bilbao. Three years later, he exhibited “Un matadero en Guipúzcoa (escena en Irún)” at the General Exhibition of Fine Arts.

In 1901, he was awarded another second-class medal for “Patio cordobés”, and in 1908, his painting “Preparativos para la Cruz de Mayo” was highly praised by critics.

In 1904, he took part in an exhibition at the Circle de Bellas Artes under the theme of travel impressions, where he presented “Calle nevada”. The painting was described in the press as domestic in tone: “The antique furnishings of the home, and the little boy warming himself by the kitchen fire in a village, are depicted beautifully.” In 1896, he again exhibited “La nieta del marinero”, now held in the museum (P005908), a work with which he had previously earned a second-class medal at the 1895 International Exhibition of Fine Arts in
Madrid.

At the 1906 General Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid, he presented six paintings: “En la sierra de Córdoba”, “Un caserío en Zarauz”, “Alrededores de Zarauz”, “El recadero”, “Pórticos de Guetaria”, and “Jardón de Laorgain”, for which he received a second-class medal. Two years later, he returned with “Preparativos para la cruz de mayo en Córdoba”, a study titled “Sierra de Córdoba”, another titled “Obediencia”, and two landscapes: “Las últimas hojas” and “Tarde de otoño” (P007046), again receiving a second-class medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts.

He also participated in international exhibitions, including in Argentina, through the efforts of the painter José Pinelo Llull from Cádiz, who in 1902 had launched the Buenos Aires Painting Exhibition, featuring fifty artists annually. Bertodano took part in the 1905, 1910, and 1918 editions, and also exhibited at the International Exhibition in Rome in 1911.

In 1912, his works “Noroeste”, “Camino de Zarauz”, “En la playa”, “Sol de invierno”, and “Paisaje extremeño” were included in the catalogue of the National Exhibition of Fine Arts. That same year, he participated in the Anglo-Latin International Art Exhibition in London, presenting “Campiña del Guadalquivir” and “En la fuente”. Two years later, he was featured at the Brighton Art Gallery with “Paisaje de Aranjuez” and “Paisaje de Extremadura”.

His close friend, the famed bullfighter Rafael Guerra Bejarano, passed away in 1941. A museum dedicated to him, the Museo Guerrita, was installed in the billiard hall of the Friendship Circle in Córdoba. Bertodano was commissioned to paint the ceiling piece that presides over the collection of the matador's personal objects.

In 1921, due to illness, Bertodano moved to Barillas, Navarra, where he decorated his home with his own works. He died on September 10, 1931.