Enrique Romero de Torres

He was born in Córdoba on January 21, 1872, the son of the painter, writer, and archaeologist Rafael Romero Barros and Rosario de Torres Delgado. He studied at the Escuela Provincial de Bellas Artes, where he excelled in life painting, drawing, and modeling. Upon graduating, he became a Drawing teacher at the Colegio Español-Francés de San Luis.

After moving to Madrid in 1892, he began contributing to national magazines and newspapers such as “La Ilustración Española y Americana”, “La Correspondencia de España”, “El Imparcial”, and “Fin de Siglo”. He also served as artistic director of “La Gran Vía”.

Following his father’s death in December 1895, he returned permanently to Córdoba, where he was appointed conservator-restorer at the Museo de Bellas Artes while also teaching Drawing at the Escuela de Bellas Artes. He later became director of the museum, a position he held until 1941, when his nephew succeeded him. From then until his death, he held the title of honorary director.

Deeply committed to the study of Andalusian art, he was also an avid collector of archaeological artifacts, a passion he inherited from his father. In 1901, he donated 19 fragments he had discovered at Medina Azahara to the Museo Arqueológico Nacional.

As director of the Museo de Bellas Artes, he promoted its renovation and expansion with works from the 17th and 18th centuries and personally restored several of the pieces. On January 10, 1904, the museum’s two new modern art galleries were inaugurated, featuring works by Valeriano Bécquer, Julio Romero de Torres, Rafael Romero Barros, and Tomás Muñoz Lucena.

In 1899, he made his debut at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes with “Un patio cordobés.” Two years later, he won a third-class medal with “Alrededores de Córdoba” (P006929), followed by “Camino de los Villares” (P006749) in 1904. In 1906, he participated again with “Descanso.”
He also entered the Córdoba Feria poster competition, and his designs were selected to announce four editions. He served as a jury member for various contests and exhibitions.
In 1910, he returned to the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes—an edition also attended by his brother Julio—with “La plaza de los Dolores (Córdoba),” and in 1911 he submitted “La plaza del Potro.” The latter work was also exhibited at the Exhibition of Paintings by Contemporary Spanish Art, organized by the Art Institute of Chicago.

He curated and organized numerous exhibitions, including a major one dedicated to Valdés Leal in 1916, which garnered significant attention both in Córdoba and nationally. He also received commissions for portraits of notable Cordoban figures.

He began participating in the Friendship Circle as early as 1886. In 1892, he was appointed secretary of its scientific-literary and artistic section. In 1888, he participated in the Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico’s competition with a canvas and three drawings, receiving an honorable mention for “En la sacristía.” The following year, he submitted 42 drawings, seven oil paintings, and six panel works, receiving two honorable mentions for “Un beduino en oración” and “unas figuras dibujadas al natural.” In 1890, he was named socio de mérito in a contest organized by the Sociedad de Amigos del País, and in 1891, he was awarded first prize at the Exposición Artística, Industrial y Agrícola organized by the City Council. In 1898, together with his brother Julio, he proposed decorating the ceiling of the Friendship Circle's barbershop with the oil painting “Rosas en la balconada”, alongside two oils titled “Vistas del Guadalquivir a su paso por Córdoba.”

In 1921, the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País appointed him president of the organizing committee for the Juegos Florales, and two years later, president of the committee for manual arts. In 1924, as Commissioner of Fine Arts, he directed an exhibition on guadamecíes and cordobanes, which included some of his own pieces and for which he edited the catalogue.

As a writer, he contributed to the Almanaque del Obispado of Córdoba and published numerous historical, artistic, and archaeological articles in other media. He was also the author of books and monographs such as “Catálogo monumental y artístico de la provincia de Jaén”, “Un retrato de Góngora pintado por Velázquez,” and “Catálogo ilustrado de la exposición de Valdés Leal.” He gave lectures at the Friendship Circle of Córdoba and the Ateneo de Madrid.

In 1896, he was appointed academician of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, occupying the seat left vacant by his late father. He became a full member in 1905, delivering the inaugural address “Pintura religiosa contemporánea en España.”

He held numerous posts throughout his career: secretary and vice-president of the Comisión de Monumentos Históricos y Artísticos de Córdoba, director of the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, secretary of the Asociación de Obreros Cordobeses “La Caridad”, corresponding member of the Real Academia de la Historia through the Junta Diocesana de Reparación de Templos, member of the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País in both Córdoba and Granada, and librarian of the board of the Asociación Cordobesa de Escritores y Artistas. He also joined the Academia de Bellas Artes de Sevilla and served as board member of the Asociación de Amigos de la Catedral. In 1956, he was awarded the Gran Cruz de Alfonso X el Sabio.

In 1943, he was named Favored Son of the city of Córdoba, to which he dedicated his life through study and painting. He passed away on May 21, 1956.