Fortuny Madrazo, Mariano (1871-1949)

He was born in Granada in 1871, into a family completely devoted to the world of art. Son of the great painter Mariano Fortuny Marsal and Cecilia de Madrazo Garreta. The family moved to Rome in October 1872, and from his earliest childhood he was surrounded by a refined and scholarly environment, especially conducive to the promotion and development of his early artistic interests.
After the unexpected and premature death of Fortuny Marsal, which occurred in Rome on November 21, 1874, his widow established the family residence in Paris, where he received his first painting and drawing classes from his uncle Raimundo, completing his apprenticeship in the workshop of the painter Benjamin-Constant. He also studied drawing and chemistry in France and Germany. In 1888 he moved to the Martinego Palace in Venice, where he became interested in the large collection of antique textiles treasured by his family.
In 1888 he moved to the Martinego Palace in Venice, where he became interested in the large collection of antique textiles treasured by his family. Around 1906 he opened his workshop in the Pesaro degli Orfei Palace with his wife, Henriette Negrin, and created original fabrics and costumes.
In 1911 he created the Mariano Fortuny company to market fabrics and, in 1919, the Fortuny Joint Stock Company on the island of Giudecca to mechanically print wallpapers, photographs and fabrics, with the exception of velvet and silk.
His talent also encompassed research in different fields, such as painting, photography, sculpture, architecture, scenography or lighting techniques for performing arts.
His creations are especially important in the world of fashion, recovering the taste for clothing from Ancient Greece.
He died in 1949 in his Venetian palace. His widow donated part of his legacy and the palace, which currently houses the Fortuny Museum, to the city of Venice after being rejected by the Spanish state.