Bartolomé Bermejo
c. 1440 - c. 1501
Bermejo's real name was Bartolomé de Cárdenas, but he was known by his nickname 'Bermejo' meaning red, which suggests that he was red-haired or ruddy-faced. He was probably born in Córdoba in southern Spain in about 1440 and worked in Valencia, Zaragoza and Barcelona.
His proficiency in the use of the oil-painting technique suggests that he may have trained in the Netherlands, or at least had knowledge of Netherlandish paintings circulating in Spain. Some twenty or so works by him survive. He is recognised as the greatest painter of 15th-century Spain.
Text © The National Gallery, London, 2021
