A Spanish painter of portraits, genre, religious compositions, murals and decorative arts, Joaquin Allustante began his studies at the Escuelas de Bellas Artes de Zaragoza y Madrid under the tutelage of Marco and Antonio José Palao. He later took up special painting courses in Madrid, where he was a pupil of Vincent Palmaroli and Paul Gonzalvo.

He furthered his training in Paris and remained in the French capital until 1881, when he moved to Rome. After his return in 1886, he was appointed professor of 'Drawing the Old" at Escuelas de Bellas Artes and also Curator of the Zaragoza Museum of Antiquities.

In 1897, he resigned those jobs and moved to Paris, apparently hired by the art dealer Alphones Goupil.