Francisco Durrio de Madrón, known as Paco Durrio (22 May 1868, Valladolid - 30 August 1940, Paris)^[1] was a Spanish sculptor, ceramicist and goldsmith; of French descent. He worked in the Art Nouveau and Symbolist styles.

Life and work

His father was a basket maker from France and the family name was originally "Durrieu".^[2] He received his initial training in Bilbao, then went to Madrid in 1881, where he trained with the sculptor, Justo de Gandarias [es]. In 1888, he moved to Paris; joining a group of artists centered around Paul Gauguin and, from 1893 to 1895, sharing a studio with him. During this time, he was largely involved with ceramics.

His first solo exhibit took place in 1896 and, in 1900, he participated in a major Modernist exhibition in Bilbao. In 1901, he moved into a studio in Montmartre, which was taken over by Pablo Picasso in 1904. That year, he built his own home nearby and installed a huge ceramic kiln. He would live there until 1939. He helped Picasso create his first ceramic works in 1905.^[3]

After 1905, he began work on a memorial to the composer, Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga but, rather than portraying the composer himself, he chose to depict the muse, Melpomene, playing a lyre. As a result, the statue was not erected until almost thirty years later, in 1933. Overall, the most positive criticism was reserved for his ceramics. He was also a devoted art collector; acquiring numerous works by his contemporaries, including a large number by Gauguin.

He died poor and almost forgotten in a Paris hospital. In 1945, after the war, a major retrospective was held at the Salon d’Automne and a large selection of his jewelry went on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.^[2] In 2013, the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao held another retrospective that included pieces from his art collection.