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Quintín de Torre was a prolific sculptor who produced portraits, monuments (including the Monument to the Master Aureliano Valle, in the grounds of the Museum), religious images and processional floats, as well as many pieces on popular, traditional and social themes. After training at the School of Arts & Crafts in Bilbao, he completed his preparation in Barcelona and Paris, where he arrived in 1902 in the company of painter Aurelio Arteta. In Paris he discovered the work of Rodin and, above all, of the Belgian Constantin Meunier (1831-1905), from whom he derived his interest in the world of work as a theme for art. His beautifully executed oeuvre is distinguished by a powerful realism and by the search for an expressive quality of a kind most closely associated with Meunier and with Spanish sculpture of the 16th and 17th centuries. De Torre revived the tradition of polychrome sculpture in stone and wood and, despite also using bronze and mastering casting techniques, remained especially interested in the techniques of carving, by no means a popular medium at the time.

Although his love of Baroque imagery distanced him from the leading-edge aesthetic trends of the day, in his realist busts and portraits one may find variations in expressive intensity ranging from naturalism to an almost classical idealization, the latter proof of his interest in the sculpture of the Italian Quattrocento. Portrait of a Young Woman and Bust of an Elderly Woman showcase his skill as a sculptor, which allows him to capture the physical features and the character of both sitters with pinpoint accuracy. In the former, where the artist portrays his subject almost as if it were a camera snapshot, the visible parts of the woman's body are painted in oils to imitate the natural flesh tones. (Miriam Alzuri)

Selected bibliography

• Bengoechea, Javier de. Catálogo de arte moderno y contemporáneo del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. Bilbao, Banco de Vizcaya, 1980. p. 155. (Con el título Busto de mujer joven).
• La Sociedad de Artistas Ibéricos y el arte español de 1925 [Cat. exp.]. Madrid ; Barcelona, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía ; Àmbit, 1995. p. 110.
• Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 143.
• Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 143.
• Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 143.
• Guía Artistas Vascos. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2008. pp. 72-73.
• Gida Euskal Artistak. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Eder Museoa, 2008. p. 72.
• Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2011. p. 156, n° 111.
• Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa : gida. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2012. p. 156, n° 111.
• Guide Basque Artists. Bilbao, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, 2012. pp. 71-72, n° cat. 33a.
• Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 156.
• Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 156.
• Bilboko Museoaren alfabetoa = El alfabeto del Museo de Bilbao = The alphabet of the Bilbao Museum = L'alphabet du Musée de Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 55, 57, n° cat. 26.