Antonio López

ANTONIO LÓPEZ GARCÍA (Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, 1936).
"Carmen recién nacida", 2012.
Steel. Copy 1/10.
Enclosed certificate of authenticity issued by the author.
It has a wooden and methacrylate box with a small tear.
Signed and numbered.
Measures. 5,5 x 7,5 x 4,5 cm; 27 x 21 x 21 x 21 cm (box).
This 2012 steel piece is based on the model created by Antonio López in 1999 in which he paid homage to his newborn granddaughter. Carmen, the little girl's name, became a constant in his work, as her face allowed him to sculpt the values of childhood, the softness of forms and innocence reflected in rounded, yet gentle and delicate features. This piece is closely related to the work known as "Night" or "Carmen asleep", which is paired with the sculpture "Day" or "Carmen awake", both located in Madrid's Atocha station.
A painter and sculptor, Antonio López began his artistic training in his native land, where he took classes with the master painter Antonio López Torres. It was thanks to his artistic facility, his talent and the support of his uncle, which led him to begin his studies in Madrid, at the San Fernando Academy. In order to gain admission, he attended courses at the School of Arts and Crafts in the afternoons. This preparation helped him to gain admission to the academy at the age of 14. During his time as a student he made friends with other artists of his generation such as Enrique Gran, Amalia Avia and Lucio Muñoz, what has come to be known as the Madrid School. In 1955, after finishing his studies at the School of Fine Arts, he left for Italy, where he travelled thanks to a scholarship. After finishing his studies, in 1957, he made his individual debut in Madrid at the Ateneo, with an exhibition he had prepared in his native Tomelloso. A year later, thanks to a competition held by the Fundación Rodríguez Acosta, he travelled to Greece with a grant. After his return to Madrid in the 1960s, his presence in galleries was reiterated, thanks to the contacts generated through his exhibition at the Biosca Gallery. Antonio López's work generated great interest in different parts of Europe, the United States, China and Korea. In 1993 the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid dedicated an anthological exhibition to him. His work is characterised by the use of a realist language, showing a great interest in portraiture, although it also includes subjects such as landscape. He is a member of the San Fernando Academy, and his awards include the Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts and the Velázquez Prize for Plastic Arts. In 2008 the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston devoted a monographic exhibition to him, as will the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts in 2011. He is represented at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the ARTIUM in Vitoria, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Fundación Juan March and the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao, among others.