Antonio Lopez

ANTONIO LÓPEZ GARCÍA (Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, 1936).
"Woman of Almanzora", 2016.
Sivec marble. Exemplary 18/20.
Attached certificate issued by the artist and the Ibáñez Cosentino Foundation.
It preserves the author's box.
It has slight damage on the base.
Signed and justified on the back.
Measurements: 24 x 14 x 23 cm; 30 x 30 x 21 cm (box).
Female head with covered hair placed on a square methacrylate base. The bronze sculpture stands out for its naturalism and details, although not for its beauty in the academic sense of the term. This detail is what gives it modernity and responds clearly to the ideas of the author. In an interview at the Casa Ibáñez Museum in Olula del Río (Almería), on the occasion of the opening of a room dedicated to the master, he clarified that, in his opinion, what surrounds the artist should be expressed from the interest for its veracity because at the moment it is real it has weight, because the themes he chooses sometimes are not easy or visually appealing. These aspects of his personality emerge in his work when he "creates with freedom" without being subject to a specific commission, in which case it is essential to consult with the client.
It is in this room where the plaster sculpture "Cabeza de mujer (modelo para un monumento)" was exhibited, to which the present work can be very directly related: according to news from May 2015, an 8-meter sculpture based on the present bust is planned to be made and installed by Antonio López for the Almeria town mentioned above. Similarities are also appreciated with the colossal "Woman of Coslada", inaugurated in October 2010 in this Madrid town and whose idea came from the Eva of a sculptural group of the same master, counting on a sculpture student of the Faculty of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid as a model.

Painter and sculptor, Antonio López, began his artistic training in his homeland, 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, the reasons that led him to begin his studies in Madrid, at the Academia de San Fernando. In order to gain access, he attended courses at the School of Arts and Crafts in the afternoons. This preparation allowed him to enter the academy at the age of 14. During his student period he became friends with other artists of his generation such as Enrique Gran, Amalia Avia or Lucio Muñoz, what has come to be called the Madrid School. In 1955, after finishing his studies at the School of Fine Arts, he left for Italy, where he traveled 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 homeland, Tomelloso. A year later, thanks to a contest held by the Rodriguez Acosta Foundation, he traveled to Greece with a scholarship. After his return to Madrid in the 60's, his presence in galleries was reiterated, thanks to the contacts generated through his exhibition at the Biosca Gallery. The work of Antonio Lopez generated great interest in different parts of Europe, the United States, China and Korea. In 1993 the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid dedicated an anthological exhibition to him. His work is characterized by the use of a realistic language, showing a great interest in portraiture, although it also includes themes such as landscape. He is an academician of San Fernando, and his awards include the Prince of Asturias of the Arts and the Velázquez of Plastic Arts. In 2008 the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston dedicated a monographic exhibition to him, and in 2011 the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao will do the same. 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 Juan March Foundation and the Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao, among others.