Restoring a Rare Sketch of Andres Segovia by Manuel Angeles Ortiz

We’re pleased to share the story behind a unique piece of art recently restored and soon to be displayed at GSI. This largely unknown sketch of Andrés Segovia, acquired from maestro Pepe Romero, was created by the renowned Spanish artist Manuel Ángeles Ortiz (1895 - 1984). Adding to its significance, the sketch contains Segovia’s original signature and a dedication to Ernesto de Quesada (1886 - 1972), a Cuban-born impresario and the founder of Conciertos Daniel (later known as Hispania Clásica). He was Segovia’s manager and a prominent figure in the classical music world who also managed artists such as pianist Arthur Rubinstein. The dedication was written by Segovia in Madrid in 1919. This remarkable sketch eventually found its way to GSI through the Romero family, as De Quesada’s son was the first manager of the Romero Quartet.

Manuel Ángeles Ortiz, the artist behind this remarkable work, had a fascinating journey in the art world. Born in Jaén in 1895, Ortiz began his career in Granada, where he befriended Federico García Lorca and Ismael González de la Serna. He continued his studies in Madrid, and in 1919 he moved to Paris, where he met famous painter Pablo Picasso, with whom he would later collaborate on various creative projects. Ortiz designed sets and costumes for compositions by Manuel de Falla, Erik Satie, and Francis Poulenc and became a prominent figure in the Parisian and French Riviera art scenes. In the early 1930s, he returned to Madrid, collaborating with Lorca’s traveling theater group La Barraca. Tragically, the Spanish Civil War interrupted his work, and Ortiz was briefly imprisoned in Saint-Cyprien until Picasso intervened to secure his release. He lived in exile in Argentina before returning to Paris in the 1960s.

Restoration

This sketch was in a fragile state upon arrival due to its age and the poor-quality, highly acidic paper and materials used in its initial mounting. To preserve it for future generations, we entrusted the restoration to Madison Brockman, an expert conservator from Los Angeles Art Conservation. The restoration process was meticulous and transformative: the sketch showed visible tears, creases, mat burns on the edges, and darkening from accumulated dirt. Conservators carefully documented the piece’s initial condition, then removed it from its acidic support, using gentle methods to clean adhesive residues. Each tear was skillfully repaired with Japanese paper and wheat starch paste, additionally light humidification and pressing reduced any warping. The final touches included in-painting tear edges with reversible watercolors to seamlessly blend with the original.

This now-restored sketch is ready to take its place among GSI’s art collection, displayed alongside a painting by Robert Bouchet and one of Segovia’s original hand-written manuscripts. We invite you to stop by and experience this beautiful piece of history firsthand. Below, you can see the “before” and “after” photos of the restoration—the results are truly stunning.