A descendent of the writer Juan Valera, Lorenzo Coullaut Valera was the patriarch of a long line of sculptors. He was succeeded by his son Federico (b. Madrid, 1912 – d. La Granja, Segovia, 1989) and later by his grandson Lorenzo (b. Madrid, 1944 – d. La Granja, Segovia, 2002). His work remained within the tradition of academic statuary, rooted in nineteenth-century discourses, albeit with modernist touches towards the end of his career. Although Coullaut was born in Andalusia and spent time in France – his father was a French engineer and Lorenzo moved to Nantes with his family in 1880 – he settled and set up his studio in La Granja de San Idelfonso in the mid-1880s. He is known to have studied with the Sevillian sculptor Antonio Susillo and with Agustín Querol. In 1897, he won his first award (an honorary mention) at the 1897 National Exhibition for a bust of his uncle Juan Valera, the novelist, whom he was to portray on other occasions.
Coullaut accepted quite a large number of commissions for public works, for which he created formally academic structures. Examples include his Monument to Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (Seville, 1910); Monument to Campoamor (Madrid, 1914); Monument to Enrique Peinador (Mondariz, Pontevedra, 1919); Monument to the Álvarez Quintero Brothers (Madrid, 1934); Monument to Cervantes in the Plaza de España (Madrid, 1926-1930), completed by his son Federico and the Monument to Juan Valera (Madrid, 1928).
In 2002, the National Glass Centre Foundation organised an anthological exhibition of the work of Lorenzo Coullaut Valera and his decendants. In 1990, a museum of his work was opened at the Morón Gateway in Marchena.
A descendent of the writer Juan Valera, Lorenzo Coullaut Valera was the patriarch of a long line of sculptors. He was succeeded by his son Federico (b. Madrid, 1912 – d. La Granja, Segovia, 1989) and later by his grandson Lorenzo (b. Madrid, 1944 – d. La Granja, Segovia, 2002). His work remained within the tradition of academic statuary, rooted in nineteenth-century discourses, albeit with modernist touches towards the end of his career. Although Coullaut was born in Andalusia and spent time in France – his father was a French engineer and Lorenzo moved to Nantes with his family in 1880 – he settled and set up his studio in La Granja de San Idelfonso in the mid-1880s. He is known to have studied with the Sevillian sculptor Antonio Susillo and with Agustín Querol. In 1897, he won his first award (an honorary mention) at the 1897 National Exhibition for a bust of his uncle Juan Valera, the novelist, whom he was to portray on other occasions.
Coullaut accepted quite a large number of commissions for public works, for which he created formally academic structures. Examples include his Monument to Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (Seville, 1910); Monument to Campoamor (Madrid, 1914); Monument to Enrique Peinador (Mondariz, Pontevedra, 1919); Monument to the Álvarez Quintero Brothers (Madrid, 1934); Monument to Cervantes in the Plaza de España (Madrid, 1926-1930), completed by his son Federico and the Monument to Juan Valera (Madrid, 1928).
In 2002, the National Glass Centre Foundation organised an anthological exhibition of the work of Lorenzo Coullaut Valera and his decendants. In 1990, a museum of his work was opened at the Morón Gateway in Marchena.