Lucio Muñoz

LUCIO MUÑOZ MARTÍNEZ (Madrid, 1929 - 1998).
"G. F. nº12", 1984.
Etching and aquatint on handmade paper, copy P.E. 4/10.
Signed, dated and justified by hand.
Measurements: 79 x 99 cm (print); 106 x 122 cm (paper); 118 x 113 cm (frame).

Lucio Muñoz's style is characterized by an abstract, material and very expressive painting, linked to Spanish informalism, where the artist experiments with materials such as wood, which he pierces, burns or tears to turn the support into an essential part of the work. This piece is very identifiable of his artistic language because, although it is a graphic work, it maintains the prominence of textures, hallmarks between dark and light areas and an abstract composition of great poetic force. Geometric shapes and diagonal lines generate tension and depth, evoking abstract landscapes and transmitting Muñoz's own lyrical and experimental character.

One of the main representatives of Spanish informalism and a pioneer of abstraction in Spain, Lucio Muñoz began his career influenced by landscape and trained at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts. After a stay in Paris, where he became acquainted with the work of Fautrier, Dubuffet, Wols and Tàpies, he evolved towards a fully informalist and abstract expressionist language. His material painting and the experimental use of materials such as wood, which he perforated and ripped, gave his work a great poetic and personal force. Since the late fifties he established himself as a key figure of the Spanish avant-garde and began to exhibit internationally in cities such as Chicago, New York, Paris and London. Over time, his language evolved towards a more lyrical aesthetic and closer to the landscape, always maintaining the importance of the support and the material. He received important awards, including the National Prize for Plastic Arts in 1983 and a retrospective at the Reina Sofia Museum in 1989.