Tinajas (1968)

Born in Madrid, the son of the painter Francisco Núñez Losada (1889-1973) who tutored him artistically from a child, De Celis studied at the Madrid School of Arts and Crafts and at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts. He went on to be professor of drawing at the Schools of Applied Arts and Artistic Crafts in Seville and Madrid. Throughout his artistic career, he held numerous exhibitions and won various prizes, including the first medal at the XXIX Salón de Otoño in Madrid in 1957.

He stands out during his period as a highly sensitive painter of traditional Spanish life. Painted in ‘modern’ 1968, this charming painting nonetheless captures a scene that dates back many centuries: the use of ancient tinajas (‘jars’) to ferment wine – most notably the sweet muscats of the Atlantic Coast. The calendar is counting down the days to glug, glug, glug.

Francisco Nunez De Celis’s work has rarely been offered at auction, the record price being 1,980 US for Picos de Europa sold at Ansorena in 2022.