Ramiro Arrue (1892-1971) - The Bare Hand Pelota

Born not far from Bilbao, Ramiro Arrué is the major figure of Basque art in the 20th century. Arrue discovered painting very young, and after a short stay in Paris, he settled in Saint-Jean-de-Luz where he spent the rest of his life. Lover and cantor of the Basque Country, he invested greatly in life local artistic, and became an emblematic figure of the region. In 1925 Arrue received the gold medal at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and became an honorary member of the Faculty of Arts in London. The following year, in 1926, he created the illustrations for “Le Mariage Basque” by Francis Jammes. Our work seems to have inspired one of the illustrations which isolates one of our pelotari. In 1927, Arrue illustrated “Ramuntcho” by Pierre Loti. His art was enriched by various influences following a trip to Latin America in 1928. During the Second World War, in 1943, he spent a month in prison in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. In 1965 he won first prize at the San Sebastian city exhibition. Ramiro Arrue died on April 3, 1971 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Our work presents a vibrant scene of bare-handed Basque pelota, on a wall pediment on the left. Barehand pelota is probably the most prestigious and ancient specialty of this sport. This scene immortalizes the vitality of a Basque village in the 1920s, where pelota serves as both an ancestral tradition and social cement. Under the watchful eyes of the spectators, the game rages on. In the foreground, a more detached character surprisingly turns his back on the scene to challenge us. It could very well be a self-portrait of the artist. The works of Ramiro Arrue are partly preserved in the museum dedicated to him in Cap d'Ail, offering a valuable retrospective of his career and his impact on Basque art. Other Basque museums, as well as the Musée d'Orsay, and some large private collections are proud to own a work by the master.