Benjamín Palencia

BENJAMÍN PALENCIA (Barrax, Albacete, 1894 – Madrid, 1980).
“Almirez,” 1979.
Ink and markers on paper.
Certificate of authenticity issued by the Benjamín Palencia Foundation is included.
Signed and dated in the upper left corner.
Measurements: 21 x 15 cm.
Drawing played an essential role in Benjamín Palencia’s career, not only as a preparatory tool for his paintings but also as a fully autonomous medium of expression. Through drawing, he explored with absolute freedom the forms of the landscape, the figure, and the rhythms of nature, condensing into a few lines the poetic intensity and capacity for synthesis that characterize his entire body of work.
A key figure in Spanish artistic modernity, Benjamín Palencia distinguished himself as a landscape painter and, alongside Alberto Sánchez, as a driving force behind the Vallecas School, one of the most influential movements of the Spanish avant-garde prior to the Civil War. Trained outside the academic system, he found a constant source of inspiration in the Prado Museum and in the tradition of Castilian landscape painting. His stay in Paris in 1926 decisively broadened his artistic horizons, incorporating Surrealist influences and experimental techniques he learned through his contact with Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and other avant-garde artists. His work is represented in major collections such as the Reina Sofía National Art Museum (Madrid), the National Art Museum of Catalonia (Barcelona), and the Albacete Museum, among other institutions.