Arturo Michelena, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Arturo Michelena

Venezuelan painter

Date of Birth: 16-Jun-1863

Place of Birth: Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela

Date of Death: 29-Jul-1898

Profession: painter

Nationality: Venezuela

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Francisco Arturo Michelena Castillo (Spanish pronunciation: [a?'tu?o mit?e'lena]; 16 June 1863 – 29 July 1898) was a Venezuelan painter born in Valencia in Carabobo State.
He began to paint at a young age under his father's tutelage.
Traveled to Paris where he studied in the famous Académie Julian.
He was the first Venezuelan artist to succeed overseas and, with Cristóbal Rojas (1857–1890) and Martín Tovar y Tovar (1827–1902), one of the most important Venezuelan painters of the 19th century. His first great success occurred in Paris at Le Salon des Artistes Français in 1887.
Encouraged by his teacher Jean-Paul Laurens (1838–1921), Michelena presented a canvas titled L'Enfant Malade (The sick boy) which was awarded the Gold Medal, second class, the highest honor a foreign artist could receive at the salon.
The painting was quickly considered a masterpiece and was acquired by the Astors in New York in the late 19th century.
Later the painting traveled to South Florida when it was acquired by Owens Burns, a business partner of John Ringling, the circus magnate.
After Burns' death the painting was stored in the Ringling Museum's vaults where it remained away from public view for more than 60 years.
In 2004 Sotheby's rescued the canvas and arranged for it to be included in an auction of Latin American art.
The painting was sold for the record amount of US$1,350,000.



Description	Venezuelan painter
Date of birth/death	16 June 1863	29 July 1898
Location of birth/death	Valencia, Venezuela	Caracas
Authority control	: Q715363 VIAF: 38224042 ISNI: 0000 0001 0889 1715 ULAN: 500088171 LCCN: n80129073 Open Library: OL44927A WorldCat