Congratulations to authors Miguel Forcada Serrano and Paola Coda Nunziante for publication of the book, Jose Moya del Pino: Dos Vidas De Artista. In English, Jose Moya del Pino, Two Lives of the Artist.
In November, his granddaughter Paola Coda talked about his life through the lens of the key relationships he forged over the years. These relationships in turn influenced the twists and turns of his life in Spain and California. If you want to purchase her book, José Moya del Pino: Two Lives of an Artist, it is available online or can be ordered through your local bookstore (they will not have it in stock but can order it directly from the publisher). An ePub is also available for Apple Books (not on Amazon).
Find Miguel Forcada Serrano on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/miguel.forcadaserrano
Who was Jose Moya del Pino?
In 1968, the Marin Art and Garden Center wanted to honor Jose Moya del Pino for the many years of dedicated service he had given to the Center. He was embarrassed by this idea of a tribute but acknowledged that a library should be created in the center to serve as a cultural and educational heart of the center. Moya, being an artist, had his eyes for many years on the then termite-ridden octagon house built in 1864. He had seen it used as an office then as a lunchroom. He felt that this lovely structure deserved better. Moya's health was failing and his wife, anxious to get his dream off the ground, contributed $25,000 to start the project while Moya was still alive. Other funds came in for the restoration bringing the total to $32,000. Roger Hooper was the architect and Carla Flood the interior designer. It was decided to move the Octagon House from over the well to a more suitable site where it now stands. Moya died in 1969 before completion of the project but his personal library of books and those contributed by members of the Center, covering fine arts and gardening, are a living and vital memorial to his artistic and intellectual judgement.
It is hard to know how best to describe Jose Moya del Pino: renowned artist, distinguished statesman, dedicated founder of the Marin Art and Garden Center, respected teacher, or, as he is so often remembered, a delightful, warm and charming friend. Born on March 3, 1890 in Priego, a small town in the province of Cordoba, Spain, he was apprenticed at the age of nine to an itinerant artist. By 1907, Moya was studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid and by 1915, he was associating with post-Impressionist artists. In 1925, King Alfonso XIII of Spain appointed Moya director of the "Spanish Artistic mission" to foster appreciation of Spanish art and culture in America. Moya and two other distinguished members of the Spanish Court brought over 50 paintings for exhibitions in Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. The King had given Moya the commission to copy all of the paintings of Velázquez hanging in the Prado Museum in Madrid. Among the paintings collected for exhibition were the 41 Velázquez reproductions. Moya had labored for four years on this project: measuring, studying, grinding pigments, and mixing colors according to 17th Century recipes in order to duplicate the original canvases as exactly as possible. In subsequent years, when civil war in Spain threatened the original masterpieces of Velázquez, Moya's work gained in importance.
Read more about some of his many works on our Art of Moya page.
In November, his granddaughter Paola Coda talked about his life through the lens of the key relationships he forged over the years. These relationships in turn influenced the twists and turns of his life in Spain and California. If you want to purchase her book, José Moya del Pino: Two Lives of an Artist, it is available online or can be ordered through your local bookstore (they will not have it in stock but can order it directly from the publisher). An ePub is also available for Apple Books (not on Amazon).
Find Miguel Forcada Serrano on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/miguel.forcadaserrano
Who was Jose Moya del Pino?
In 1968, the Marin Art and Garden Center wanted to honor Jose Moya del Pino for the many years of dedicated service he had given to the Center. He was embarrassed by this idea of a tribute but acknowledged that a library should be created in the center to serve as a cultural and educational heart of the center. Moya, being an artist, had his eyes for many years on the then termite-ridden octagon house built in 1864. He had seen it used as an office then as a lunchroom. He felt that this lovely structure deserved better. Moya's health was failing and his wife, anxious to get his dream off the ground, contributed $25,000 to start the project while Moya was still alive. Other funds came in for the restoration bringing the total to $32,000. Roger Hooper was the architect and Carla Flood the interior designer. It was decided to move the Octagon House from over the well to a more suitable site where it now stands. Moya died in 1969 before completion of the project but his personal library of books and those contributed by members of the Center, covering fine arts and gardening, are a living and vital memorial to his artistic and intellectual judgement.
It is hard to know how best to describe Jose Moya del Pino: renowned artist, distinguished statesman, dedicated founder of the Marin Art and Garden Center, respected teacher, or, as he is so often remembered, a delightful, warm and charming friend. Born on March 3, 1890 in Priego, a small town in the province of Cordoba, Spain, he was apprenticed at the age of nine to an itinerant artist. By 1907, Moya was studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid and by 1915, he was associating with post-Impressionist artists. In 1925, King Alfonso XIII of Spain appointed Moya director of the "Spanish Artistic mission" to foster appreciation of Spanish art and culture in America. Moya and two other distinguished members of the Spanish Court brought over 50 paintings for exhibitions in Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. The King had given Moya the commission to copy all of the paintings of Velázquez hanging in the Prado Museum in Madrid. Among the paintings collected for exhibition were the 41 Velázquez reproductions. Moya had labored for four years on this project: measuring, studying, grinding pigments, and mixing colors according to 17th Century recipes in order to duplicate the original canvases as exactly as possible. In subsequent years, when civil war in Spain threatened the original masterpieces of Velázquez, Moya's work gained in importance.
Read more about some of his many works on our Art of Moya page.