他的父亲经营一家理发店，和他的家庭有大约艺术生涯他们的疑虑。然而，在1860年，那时他还只有十六岁，他卖掉了自己的作品之一的“ExposiciónSevillana”2,000 实在。这改变了他家的头脑和他当了学徒画家何塞·玛丽亚·罗梅罗·洛佩斯，在埃斯库埃拉贝拉斯Artes公司塞维利亚，在那里他与前招收跟他住了两年爱德华多·卡诺。

1867年，他前往马德里，在那里在工作室找到了工作费德里科·德马德拉佐。在那里，他在所花费的时间普拉多博物馆，抄袭的作品委拉斯开兹，以完善他的技术。最后，通过对作品的启发东方画家玛丽亚Fortuny的，他组织了一个游览摩洛哥。

临近1868年年底，与他的家庭的财政援助，他决定用他的一些朋友访问罗马 ，并在车间花费的时间爱德华多·罗萨莱斯。在那里，他创造了他的第一个作品costumbrista，这被证明是非常受欢迎的。他也开始绘画的东方基于他带来了从摩洛哥回到了无数的草图场景，，回到那里简单地收集更多的材料。这些类型的绘画的时尚很快就在它的高点，而他的作品广受博世Ÿ埃尔南德斯画廊推广。

1877年后，他经常住在威尼斯和生产设计，有兴趣的富有的美国购房者的作品。到了1887年，他才能够盖房子，这是他自己设计的。它很快就成为上流社会聚集的地方。他也开始接受少数学生。

1878年，西班牙参议院委托他画的主题为“大型历史著作埃尔南科尔特斯 ”采访蒙特祖玛 “。该委员会是四年后取消，但它启发他走上了一系列的历史画。后来，一家荷兰出版公司接洽几个主要欧洲艺术家制作插图为麦格纳BIBLIA。 -维勒加斯与中描绘的预言委托以赛亚书。

19世纪90年代开始悄悄，但在1896年，他的弟弟里卡多（谁也是一个艺术家）淹死后，他掉下来的船瓜。这陷入他陷入萧条，他开始画的作品教会性质。两年后，他被任命为“学术界ESPAÑOLA贝拉斯阿特斯EN罗马”的董事。1901年，为了表彰他的工作在那里，他被评为普拉多博物馆的主任; 放弃了他在罗马的工作室和返回马德里。他认为，工作直到1918年主持重大重组。在此期间，他还建立了一个新的声誉的肖像画家。他辞职是由于负面宣传继博物馆的后卫之一珠宝被盗。
 

His father runs a barber shop, and his family has about an art career with their doubts. However, in 1860, when he was only sixteen years old, he sold one of his "Exposici nSevillana" is 2000. This house changed his mind and he was apprenticed to the painter Jose Maria Romero Lopez, the ACE Cuellar Bellas Artes company in Seville, where he lived for two years before he enrolled with Eduardo Cano.
In 1867, he went to Madrid, where he found a job at Federico Dematarazzo. There, he spent time in Prado Museum, copying the works Velazquez, to perfect his technique. Finally, inspired by the works of Oriental painter Maria Fortuny, he organized a tour of Morocco.
Near the end of 1868, with his family's financial assistance, he decided to visit Rome with some of his friends, and spent time in the workshop Eduardo Rosales. There, he created his first work, costumbrista, which proved to be very popular. He also began to paint the Orient based on the scenes he brought back from Morocco to countless sketches, and returned there simply to gather more materials. These types of painting are soon at its high point, and his works are popular with BOSCH y Hernandez Gallery promotion.After 1877, he often lives in Venice and produces designs that are interested in the works of wealthy American buyers. In 1887, he was able to build a house, which he designed himself. It soon became a place of high society. He also began to accept a small number of students.
In 1878, the Spanish Senate commissioned him to paint the theme of "large historical works of Hernan Cortes in an interview with Monte Zuma". The committee was cancelled four years later, but it inspired him to embark on a series of historical paintings. Later, a Holland publishing company approached several major European artists making illustrations for Magna BIBLIA. Garth and Wheeler - described in the book by Isaiah prophecy.
1890s began quietly, but in 1896, his younger brother Ricardo (who was also an artist) drowned after he fell off the boat. This caught him in a depression, he began to paint the works of the church nature. Two years later, he was appointed as the "academic ESPA n OLA Bella Artes EN Rome director. In 1901, in recognition of his work there, he was named director of the Prado Museum; abandoned his studio in Rome and returned to madrid. He believes that the work until 1918 presided over a major reorganization. In the meantime, he also established a new reputation for portrait painter. His resignation was due to negative publicity following the museum's one of the guards was stolen jewelry.