Ginés Andrés de Aguirre

Ginés Andrés de Aguirre (21 October 1727, Yecla - 18 July 1800, Mexico City) was a Spanish painter. Most of his works are urban or pastoral genre scenes.

Biography His family moved to Madrid in 1739. Where he received his initial artistic training is unknown, but he enrolled at the newly created Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in 1752. During his time there, he failed to obtain any of the numerous prizes awarded by the Academia.

In 1758, he entered a competition for a scholarship to Rome, but came in third. The painting he presented, "Pedro Ansúrez before Alfonso the Battler", has been preserved at the Academia.

In 1786, he and Cosme de Acuña were named to official positions at the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico. Shortly after arriving, however, he had a serious argument with Jerónimo Antonio Gil, the director general there; a person known for his quick temper and authoritarian attitudes. This led him to write a letter to Antonio Ponz, secretary of the Academia in Madrid, complaining that he felt "imprisoned". He may given up his academic positions, according to a letter by Acuña that made a similar complaint. Gil also wrote a letter, to King Charles IV, complaining about his teachers' poor performance, and singling out Aguirre for special criticism.

His activities during his last four years are unknown. For a time, his associates believed that he had returned to Spain.