Juan Anton Gaya Nuño | Real Amia la Historia

Author, art cric. Gaya Nuño was born Tarlcuen, Spa to Anton Gaya Tovar (1876-1936) and Gregoria Nuño Ortega. His father me om a wealthy fay of physicians wh republin ials. In 1920, his fay moved to Soria where he earned his bachelor’s gree at the Instuto Soria. He earned a gree Filosofia y Letras (Philosophy and Letters) om the Universidad Central Madrid 1932. He fend his this El románi en la provcia Soria (Romanque the Provce of Soria) 1934. At the universy, he worked unr Manuel Gómez-Moreno Martínez (1870-1970), Manuel Bartolomé Cossío (1857-1935) and Elias Tormo (1869–1954), Leopoldo Torr Balbás (1888–1960), and Blas Taracena (1895–1951) who later beme his mentor. He beme a member of the Real Amia la Historia 1935. He worked for the Sección Letras l Instuto Soria and as an archivist-librarian at the Diputación Provcial Soria. While he was a ndidate to be a profsor of Art History, Archaeology, and Numismatics at the Universy of Santiago and Muri, his reer was terpted by the Spanish Civil War 1936. Prr to the outbreak of the war, Gaya Nuño was a supporter of Manuel Azaña (1880-1940). The assasatn of his father durg the first weeks of the war pelled him to jo the Frente Popular. He was a litenant of the Numancia Battaln and fought Guadalajara. He married Concepcn Gutierrez Mar (1916-1989) 1937. After the war, he surrenred himself and the Consejo Guerra sentenced him to twenty years prison. He was imprisoned between 1939 to 1943 at the prisons of San Anton, Carabanchel, Valnoceda, and Las Palmas Gran Canaria. After he was released, he moved to Madrid and met Spanish art historian Jose Gudl Rirt (1904-1985). Thanks to Gudl, he beme the director of the Galerias Layetas om 1947 to 1951. He took tert Morn art and published volume V Arquectura y Escultura Románis for the Ars Hispaniae wh Guidol 1948 and La ptura pañola l med siglo (Mid-century Spanish Patg) 1952. Durg the years, he travelled throughout Spa studyg mms and private llectns and wrote Historia y guia los Meos España (History and Gui of Mms Spa) (1955). He was the director of the Boletín la Sociedad Española Excursn (Bullet of the Spanish Society of Excursns) and worked wh the Instuto Diego Velazqu as an advisor of scientific vtigatns. He was named to the Hispanic Society of New York bee of his knowledge of North Amerin historgraphy, and was also part of the Amia Breve Cri Arte. He was award the Prem Nacnal Leratura 1957 along wh his close iend and Spanish art historian Jose Camon Aznar (1898-1979). He was a visg profsor at the Universidad San Juan Puerto Ri between 1962 to 1963. He published La ptura pañola l siglo XX (Spanish Patg of the 20th Century) 1970 and Historia la críti arte en España (History of Art Cricism Spa) 1975. Gaya Nuño published more than sixty-six books his reer, where he analyzed artistic movements and schools as well as dividual artists. He took particular tert the study of sourc of rmatn ed artistic historgraphi. In a time of social, polil, and enomic uncertaty, Gaya Nuño’s abily to llect and synthize rmatn allowed for this data to be accsible to a larger populatn. He not only was the most prolific photographic documentor Spanish history, he also wrote extensively on foreign artists (wh a particular foc North Ameri) (Alzuria and Mart). While the ernment and universi refed to offer him a permanent office bee of his polil iologi, he is unanimoly regnized by art historians for his extensive and exhstive ntributns.