The Casa Museo Benlliure is set to open the exhibition 'El poverello de Asís under the gaze of José Benlliure' on 27 October at 19:00. This commemorative display features 65 original works created by the Valencian artist a century ago to illustrate a luxury edition of San Francisco de Asís, published in València in October 1926.
The exhibition offers a chance to rediscover a lesser-known aspect of Benlliure's career and to engage with an ambitious artistic series conceived to mark the seventh centenary of Saint Francis of Assisi's death. The editorial project was promoted by the Third Order of Franciscans in València and included commentary from Father Antonio Torró (OFM).
Designed as a luxury edition, the publication featured 65 illustrations that received widespread acclaim from contemporary critics. Among them, Italian critic Filippo Bojano noted the profound Franciscan spirit in Benlliure's work, stating that “his entire oeuvre is an exaltation of love, selflessness, and Franciscan humility.” Bojano also highlighted the artist's ability to blend sacred dimensions with a keen observation of reality.
The 65 original pieces, created using a mixed technique of walnut ink wash, watercolour, and gouache on paper, are currently housed in the Franciscan convent of Sant Esperit in Gilet, with the exception of one piece held in the collection of the Museo de Bellas Artes de València. The exhibition will allow visitors to view the complete series and explore the history of a project that intertwines artistic creation, spirituality, and Valencian cultural heritage.
The exhibition will be held at two venues: the Casa Museo Benlliure in València and the Convent of Santa Clara in Gandia, expanding the reach of this unique collection. It will not only showcase the final works but also include a selection of sketches, washes, manuscripts, and photographs from Benlliure's personal archive, providing insight into the painter's creative process and the inspirations behind his interpretation of Saint Francis of Assisi.
This documentation allows for an exploration of the various stages of the series' development and fosters a dialogue between the finished illustrations and the preparatory materials preserved in the artist's archive. This journey enables an appreciation of not just the final product but also the effort and research that preceded each image.
The return of the collection to the Casa Museo Benlliure adds special significance to the commemoration. A century after their creation, the works return to a space closely linked to the artist's legacy, where they interact with other pieces of Franciscan themes that are part of the museum's displayed collections. Notable among these is the canvas 'San Francisco vuelve del monte Alvernia', regarded as a “masterpiece” by historian and Saint Francis specialist Paul Sabatier, along with 'San Francisco sorprendido por un novicio', and other works that contextualise the presence of Franciscan iconography in Benlliure's artistic output.
'El poverello de Asís under the gaze of José Benlliure' invites visitors to discover a unique chapter in the Valencian artist's production and to delve deeper into the relationship between his painting, Franciscan spirituality, and the Valencian artistic tradition. By bringing together the complete series and its preparatory materials for the first time in this exhibition context, it highlights a collection of significant artistic and documentary interest.
The exhibition is curated by Nuria Ramón Marqués, a professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), and Javier García Peiró, director of the Casa Museo José Benlliure. It will be open to the public from 27 October 2026 to 17 January 2027 at the temporary exhibition hall of the Casa Museo Benlliure and at the Convent of Santa Clara in Gandia, as part of the commemorative events for the centenary of the publication of San Francisco de Asís.
