(1916-2007)

Geometry, matter and form are the most characteristic features of the work of the Spanish painter Pablo Palazuelo, who passed away in Galapagar, Madrid. The outbreak of the Civil War interrupted his architecture studies at Oxford University, and forced him to return to Spain. From 1939 on he devoted himself exclusively to painting, though architecture would continue to be an essential influence in both his paintings and sculptures. In 1948, thanks to a scholarship granted by the French Government, Palazuelo travelled to Paris, where he came into contact with the avant-garde artists of postwar Europe and met Eduardo Chillida. His first solo exhibit in the French capital was held in 1955, earning him recognition abroad first. When the painter decided to return to Spain, in 1969, he had already developed his own language, influenced by Paul Klee and characterized by geometric abstraction, with a restricted color palette that departed from the informalist currents of the time. In 1982 he received the Gold Medal of Fine Arts, in 1999 the National Award for Plastic Arts and in 2004 the Velázquez Prize.