Vicente Arnás

Vicente Arnás (Madrid, 1949) is a painter, printmaker and illustrator whose work moves between magical realism and critical surrealism. He began in advertising illustration but soon found his true passion in the visual arts, with a first solo exhibition in 1976 at the Sala Macarrón in Madrid that was an immediate success. Self-taught, he explores a dreamlike universe in which classical references, such as Velázquez, Watteau, Bosch and Arcimboldo, coexist with modern symbols, figures drawn from dreams and timeless atmospheres that arise between the lyrical and the fantastic. He has exhibited widely in Spain and abroad, including New York, Geneva, Seville, Gijón and León, has taken part in leading fairs such as ARCO and Europ-Art, and has shown with the group Nueve Expresiones. His honours include the Medal of Honour at the BMW Painting Prize (1987 and 1990), the First Prize of the Real Maestranza de Sevilla (1993) and, since 2002, the title of Corresponding Academician of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Santa Isabel de Hungría. In 2011 he illustrated the official posters for the San Isidro, Aniversario and Otoño fairs at Las Ventas bullring in Madrid, extending his creative link with bullfighting. His work is held in museum and foundation collections such as the Museo del Grabado Español Contemporáneo, the Museo de Jaén and the Calcografía Nacional.