Carlos Monserrate, the Artist Who Immortalized Bernardo de Gálvez in the Capitol Building in Washington, Passes Away

The artist from Malaga, Carlos Monserrate Carreño, passed away tonight at his home in Pedregalejo, after a long illness, according to family sources. The burial will take place this afternoon at Parcemasa at 5 PM.

Additionally, the family plans to hold a funeral mass in his memory at his Corpus Christi parish, on Friday, January 24, at 7 PM.

Carlos Monserrate, always a friendly, warm, and generous person, was born in Málaga on October 13, 1933 and his early calling for painting is evidenced by a production of nearly 3,000 paintings, estimated by his son Gonzalo, a painter like him, in the artist's last meeting with La Opinión, in November 2023.

In fact, in 2014 he reminisced to this newspaper that, at the age of 8, when he received his first box of oil paints as a Christmas gift, he painted a beautiful portrait of Cervantes, indicating that his artistic training began early: from ages 12 to 19 he studied at the School of Fine Arts; among his peers was Francisco Hernández.

Carlos Monserrate, painting at the age of 11. / Family archive

Over the more than 80 years he dedicated to painting, the artist mentioned that he only took a break to apply for a state accountant position, which made him a Treasury official. In fact, as he recalled, his day was divided between the morning, when he served as head of the Treasury Audit Service, and the afternoon, after a short nap, working in his studio until 2 AM.

He also balanced this job with raising a family with his beloved María Teresa Novis, now deceased, with whom he had eight children and who also became his artistic advisor. “My secret is that I have a lot of willpower and I don’t know if 'vacaciones' is spelled with a 'b' or a 'v'," he confessed in one of his meetings with La Opinión.

Carlos Monserrate, in front of the Corpus altar with two of his donated paintings. / Family archive

Among his artistic productions are portraits of three bishops of Málaga, three Ministers of Treasury, and the former Pope, Benedict XVI, as well as a copy of the execution of Torrijos by Gisbert. Part of his artistic work was compiled by the well-known journalist and academic of San Telmo Julián Sesmero, who dedicated a monograph to Carlos Monserrate.

His work is also distributed throughout Europe and the United States, as he worked for many years for a gallery in Torremolinos, managed by a German couple. Additionally, his parish of Corpus also holds six of his paintings, donated by the generous artist.

The Challenge of Painting Bernardo de Gálvez

In 2013, he received a commission from the Cultural Association Bernardo de Gálvez to make a copy of the 18th-century portrait by Mariano Salvador Maella of Bernardo de Gálvez, with the aim of hanging it in one of the halls of the Capitol in Washington, thus settling a historical debt, as, just after achieving independence, the American rebels committed to this to thank the decisive help of Bernardo de Gálvez and Spain in the independence of the United States of America.

Carlos Monserrate during the painting of the portrait of Bernardo de Gálvez. / Family archive

He began painting it on December 15, 2013, it was presented still unfinished on April 25, 2014, at the Provincial Council, "and the same day it was returned to me, and from there, 20 more sessions. I finished it on May 14," he detailed in 2014.

The painter who recovered Bernardo de Gálvez

This work by Carlos Monserrate, which he carried out voluntarily, was approved by art experts at the Capitol and could be inaugurated, with the presence of the Kings of Spain, on December 8, 2014. The artist's gesture earned him the Bernardo de Gálvez Award, granted by the Cultural Association Bernardo de Gálvez, as well as an award from the Junta de Andalucía.

In his last meeting with La Opinión, Carlos Monserrate, despite some ailments, was happy and continued painting, always surrounded by the affection and care of his family. Rest in peace this always generous and cordial artist who placed a memorable stake in Washington.