Miquel Barceló

He studied at the School of Decorative Arts in Palma de Mallorca and at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona (1974). Later he joined the Majorcan conceptual art group Taller Lunàtic. Miquel Barceló gained international recognition after participating in the São Paulo Biennial in 1981 and in the Documenta in Kassel in 1982. His technique is characterized by the use of pictorial matter, which he impastos his paintings achieving relief effects. Barceló paints "about life and death" and acknowledges that time is a constant in his work.

One of the characteristics of Barceló's prolific work is its evident connection with literature and it is common for Barceló himself to be the author of the prologues of his catalogs, as well as of drawn notebooks where he reflects on art in general and on the process of creating his work in particular.

His work expresses a notable interest in motifs derived from nature, treated from a dense, thick, and generally dark palette, which has exerted great influence. His personal universe has as recurring elements the vision of the world as a maelstrom and the obsession with capturing and asserting the presence of the organic in all its forms. Hence, Africa, and specifically Mali, have served him as a source of inspiration, basis of his textures, colors and visceral creativity.

On June 12, 2003, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts.

Text provided by the Mediterranean Foundation. Author: J. B. Peiró.