Enrique Senis-Oliver, Spanish b.1936
Reclining Nude with Mantilla, 1976

£1,500

Oil on canvas
Signed and dated (lower right)
26.5cm × 26.5cm (34.5cm × 34.5cm framed)

Enrique Senís-Oliver is a Spanish painter renowned for his precise anatomical mastery, vivid Neo-Realism, and prominent high-society portraiture.Originally studying civil engineering, he shifted focus to art in 1957 and studied anatomy at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid to refine his understanding of human form. During the late 1950s, Senís-Oliver traveled across Europe—painting portraits in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, and Greece. His subjects included heads of state and influential figures such as King Juan Carlos I of Spain, shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, and Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis.

Moving to New York City in 1961, he established himself within the American Neo-Realist movement.His most celebrated U.S. commission came from the Harkness Foundation to design the interior and execute large-scale stage murals for the Harkness Theater for Dance at Lincoln Center—a project completed over nearly two years in the early 1970s.In 1982, he relocated to Southern California, exhibiting at the Bridge Gallery in Los Angeles City Hall following an invitation by Mayor Tom Bradley.Returning to his native Valencia in the 1990s, he was honored with a major retrospective at the Palace of Marqués de Campo in 1993. In 2000, the Universitat Politècnica de València commissioned him to paint a monumental ceiling mural spanning over 200 square meters.

Usually worn by women, a mantilla veil is a traditional Spanish head covering made of silk or tulle with a heavy lace edge. It drapes flat over the head and shoulders without gathering, creating a soft frame around the face. It is popular for weddings and religious services.