Josep Tapiró Baró

Josep Tapiró i Baró (17 February 1836, Reus – 4 October 1913, Tangier) was a Spanish painter, best known for his watercolor portraits from Morocco.

Biography His parents owned a hardware store. As with many future artists, he displayed an early affinity for drawing. His first formal studies were in 1849 with Domènec Soberano, a local wine merchant and amateur painter. In 1853, he and his fellow student, Marià Fortuny, were given the opportunity to exhibit at a showing held by the Casino de Reus.

Later that year, he and Fortuny enrolled at the Escola de la Llotja, where he studied with Claudi Lorenzale, a painter associated with the German Nazarene movement, among others. He returned to Barcelona in 1860 and assisted with decorating the façade at the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya

In 1862, he joined his friend, Fortuny, in Rome and was introduced to his circle of artistic acquaintances who met at the Antico Caffè Greco. They also visited Naples and Florence together. While there, he took evening classes to learn how to paint watercolors and his works began to focus more on genre themes. These works became very popular and established his reputation.

In 1871 he, Fortuny and Bernardo Ferrándiz took a trip to Tangier.

Moroccan portraits