Ayne Bru

Ayne (Aine) Bru (probably a Catalanization of Hans Brün)[1] was a 16th-century Renaissance painter of German origin who worked in Catalonia.

[3] In 1502, he was hired to paint the main altar (retablo) in the church of the monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès, for which he was paid a staggering wage between 1504 and 1507.

On the central panel, Bru depicted the martyrdom of Saint Cucuphas (in Catalan, Sant Cugat) with enormous realism.

This work is now at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya).

Marcel Durliat believes that though the expressionism in this painting is evidence of a Germanic artistic tradition, Bru's Quattrocento depiction of the standing figures in contemporary dress, as well as other details, indicate that the painter may have lived or studied in Northern Italy before moving to Barcelona.