Celebrated arts patron Delfina Entrecanales dies at 94

Through her two eponymous initiatives, Entrecanales helped nearly 1,000 artists and arts practitioners to develop their work

Delfina Entrecanales, founder of the Delfina Foundation, has died aged 94. Getty Images

Delfina Entrecanales, a Spanish arts patron who played a crucial role in the rise of young British artists in the late 1980s, has died at the age of 94.

Her death was confirmed by her London non-profit the Delfina Foundation on Friday. No cause of death was given.

“Delfina Entrecanales was a trailblazer in arts patronage,” the foundation said. “Always unafraid of eschewing conventions, she was known for her relentless energy, immense generosity, no-nonsense approach and dry sense of humour.”

Entrecanales supported nearly 1,000 artists and arts practitioners in developing their work through her two eponymous initiatives, The Delfina Studio Trust and its successor, the Delfina Foundation.

“Guided by her own principles and strong conviction of ‘no strings attached’ support, she sought solely to offer artists the time and space they required to explore new ideas and develop existing projects,” the foundation said. “Her support … has had an immeasurable impact on the contemporary arts and those who produce them, in London, the UK and internationally.”

Entrecanales was born in 1927 in Spain to a progressive, affluent family with ties to left-wing political groups. At 19, she moved to England, fleeing Franco’s dictatorship. While staying in Oxford, she met her first husband, a banker, with whom she had four children.

The marriage ended in the 1970s, after which Entrecanales decided to stay in England to become a socialite and arts patron. She bought a farm with several cottages in Wiltshire, offering musicians accommodation and a place to work.

She married her second husband, Digby Squires, in 1973. The couple were together for three decades and established the Delfina Studio Trust in 1988. Artists supported by the trust included Glenn Brown, Jane and Louise Wilson, Tomoko Takahashi, Thomas Demand and Tacita Dean. Some of artists supported by the fund became winners or finalists in prestigious arts awards, including the Turner Prize.

In recognition to her contribution to the arts, Entrecanales was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2012. A year later, she received the Prince of Wales Medal for Philanthropy in the Arts.

Art institutions and artists from around the world have posted tributes to Entrecanales online.

“Sad news from the art world: Delfina Entrecanales has died,” British journalist and author Josh Spero wrote on Twitter. “She supported hundreds of the most innovative, forward-thinking artists with the Delfina Foundation in London.”

Organisers of Art Dubai also posted a tribute to Entrecanales on the annual event's Instagram page. “May her legacy continue to live on,” they wrote.

Emirati artist Khalid Mezaina recalled, in a tweet, his meeting the arts patron in London in 2011. He posted a picture showing Entrecanales flipping through his sketchbook, as well as a sketch of the patron based on the photograph.

“Rest In Peace Delfina Entrecanales,” he wrote. “Thank you for seeing an artist in me.”