Miquel Utrillo

Miquel Utrillo i Morlius (16 February 1862 in Barcelona – 20 January 1934 in Sitges) was a Spanish art critic, scenographer, painter and engineer.

Biography He was born to the lawyer, Miquel Utrillo i Riu, originally from Tremp, a liberal republican who lived in exile in France from 1867 to 1882, and his wife, Ramona Morlius i Borràs, from Lleida. He and his mother followed his father into exile, and Miquel was given a bilingual education, initially in Avignon. Later, from 1880 to 1882, he studied engineering at the Institut National Agronomique. When his parents returned to Spain, he remained in Paris and was attracted to the artistic milieu in Montmartre. He was a frequent visitor to the cabaret, Le Chat Noir, where he met the artist, Suzanne Valadon, and became her lover. In 1883, she gave birth to a son; Maurice. She never identified the father, and was known to have had other lovers.

In 1885, after travelling to Belgium and Germany, he joined his father in Madrid. Three years later, he was part of a team of engineers who helped prepare the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition. The following year, he returned to Paris, as a correspondent for the newspaper, La Vanguardia, to report on the Exposition Universelle. He would stay there to work as an art critic. In 1890, he met Suzanne, who was now calling her son "Maurice Utrillo Valadon".

The year 1921 saw the beginning of what would be known as the "Affaire Deering". Among many other complaints, it involved accusations that Utrillo had stolen parts of the old building for his personal use. The issues were never resolved.

In 1930, his friend Rusiñol made efforts to rehabilitate Utrillo's reputation, as part of converting his home into what is now known as the Cau Ferrat Museum. Rusiñol died in 1931, followed by his wife Lola, in 1932. During that time, he was working on a history of the local artistic community, which was published after his death in 1934.