Julio de Diego

Julio de Diego (American, b. Spain, 1900-1979) left his parents’ home in Madrid at age 15 and held his first exhibition at a casino. He became an apprentice in a studio that produced opera scenery, once appearing as an extra in a Ballets Russes production, and subsequently served for several years in the Spanish army. After the Rif War of 1920 in northern Africa, Diego traveled to Paris and then immigrated to the United States in 1924. By 1926, he had settled in Chicago, where he worked as a commercial artist. He decorated two chapels in St. Gregory’s Church and created fashion illustrations and magazine covers. He also focused on painting and began exhibiting at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1929.... more.