| Bernardo de Legarda | |
| Birth Date: | c. 1700 |
| Birth Place: | Royal Audiencia of Quito |
| Death Date: | 1 June 1773 |
| Death Place: | Royal Audiencia of Quito |
| Known For: | Sculpture, painting |
| Movement: | Quito School (Escuela Quiteña) |
Bernardo de Legarda (c. 1700 - 1 June 1773) was one of the most important artists of the Quito School movement.[1]
Legarda was a mestizo artist and the one who best personified the art of sculpture in the capital of Quito during his period. His first artwork dated from 1731 when he restored an image of Saint Luke in the Church of Santo Domingo, after which he was much in demand. In 1732 he was commissioned to do a sculpture of the Immaculate Conception for the Church of San Francisco. This work, which became known as the Virgin of Quito (1734), met with great approval and countless copies and imitations were made throughout the Royal Audiencia of Quito (roughly present day Ecuador, southern Colombia and northern Peru).
With regard to his activity with altarpieces, one must emphasize well-documented baroque features in his work such as the altarpiece of Mercy (1748–51), completed by his disciple named Gregorio, as well as the altarpiece Moderno del Carmen, which is attributed to his disciple and Legarda Jacinto Lopez.