Benito Quinquela Martin was born in 1890 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was seperated from his parents early and lived his first six years of life in an orphanage when he was adopted. At the age of 14 began to work at the coalyard belonging to his stepfather while he was attending a night academy of drawing in the neighborhood of La Boca. After dropping out of elementary school, he enrolled in painting school where he learned to do portraits, practicing by drawing the people of the neighborhood. He then decided that he was going to devote to painting port compositions. He began exhibiting in 1918, and in 1920 he obtained the Second Prize of the 'Salon Nacional". He was chosen to decorate the Pedro de Mendoza's museum-school in the neighborhood of La Boca, and took jobs for the Department of Public Works for which he painted the Buenos Aires suburban railroad mural. During his career he had exhibitions in Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Paris, New York and Havana. His paintings reflect a strong expression of the activity, vigor and roughness of life in the area of la Boca. He also painted numerous murals and made ceramics of large dimensions in official public buildings and in private institutions. In 1938 he founded the Museo de Bellas de La Boca in the same building where lived and had his workshop. Among his most noted works are: Tormenta en el Astillero (Museum of Luxemburg, Paris), Puente de la Boca (Saint James Palace, London) and Creposculo en el astillero (Museo de Bellas Artes Pedro de Mendoza, Buenos Aires). Quinquela Martin became a philanthropist, donating a series of works to the neighborhood of La Boca and to the city of Buenos Aires.