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exhibition
contemporary realism

Antonio López – Master of Spanish realism

  • 28 January till 2 June 2024
  • Drents Museum

From 28 January 2024, we present a major retrospective of Spanish artist Antonio López (1936).

López is a phenomenon in his native Spain and has been labelled the 'greatest living realist artist'. The exhibition Antonio López - Master of Spanish realism is López' first major solo exhibition in the Netherlands. Paintings - including portraits, still lifes and huge Madrid cityscapes - drawings and sculpture will come to Assen. For this exhibition, we are collaborating with Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera in Barcelona, where a major exhibition on López will open in the Gaudí house Casa Milà on 21 September 2023. 

Detailed working method

Antonio López is known for his extremely detailed working method. One of his cityscapes of Madrid - the painting Madrid desde la torre de bomberos de Vallecas, on display in the exhibition in Assen - even took him sixteen years to complete, with breaks of course. López often chooses to return to the same place at the same time every year. It is characteristic of his art: López always tries to capture the essence of an object. He does this by leaving nothing to chance. Light, colour and shape: everything is carefully studied and imitated. In doing so, he transforms everyday subjects into rich works of art.

Known worldwide

In 1993, 2008 and 2011, Antonio Lopéz had major solo exhibitions at Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid). In 2014 he completed a monumental painting of the Spanish royal family, which he had already started in 1994. His work is included in museum collections around the world, such as the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg, Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Antonio López also became famous for the film El sol del membrillo. In this 1992 film, directed by Victor Erice and awarded several prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, López is filmed for months while he paints a quince tree in his garden. To this day it remains an absolute classic in film history.

Antonio Lopez Garcia, The dinner, 1971-1980, oil on panel, 89 x 101 cm, artist collection. C/o Pictoright Amsterdam

Antonio López, Carmen dormida [Carmen sleeping], 2008, bronze, 243 x 200 x 228 cm, Fundació Sorigué (Lleida). C/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2024

Antonio López, Nevera deheelo [Refrigerator], 1966, Private collection (Madrid)

‘“He is a well-known artist in Spain, but his work is never actually exhibited in our region.” […] “The Drents Museum exhibits a life well spent here.”’

Gijsbert van der Wal, NRC

Antonio López – Master of Spanish Realism can be seen from January 28 to June 2, 2024 and fits into the series of exhibitions of international realism, such as The American Dream on American realism (2017), Sprezzatura on Italian realism (2019) and Viva la Frida! – Life and art of Frida Kahlo (2021). The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated publication with contributions from Dutch and Spanish authors.