Jesús de la Sota

JESÚS DE LA SOTA (Pontevedra, 1924 – Berlin, 1980).
Untitled. Gramíneas Series, 1955.
Gouache on cardstock.
Work referenced in the catalog “Silences and Rhythms: Drawings and Paintings by Jesús de la Sota (1955–1961).” José de la Mano Gallery, 2012, p. 61.
Provenance: José de la Mano Gallery, Madrid.
Measurements: 50 x 65 cm; 68 x 81 cm (frame).
This work belongs to the early “Gramíneas” series, created by Jesús de la Sota in the mid-1950s, during a pivotal period in the evolution of his artistic language. Along with the Peces and Sillas series, these compositions illustrate the gradual process of synthesis and formal refinement that would lead the artist from references drawn from nature toward geometric abstraction.
The series is linked to the design and architectural projects developed in collaboration with his brother, the architect Alejandro de la Sota, in which painting, space, and design were integrated into a modern and functional concept. The plant forms in *Gramíneas* undergo a process of simplification, rhythm, and order, foreshadowing some of the artist’s later abstract explorations.
Jesús de la Sota was a Spanish multidisciplinary artist whose career spanned painting, drawing, design, and furniture, developing a visual language closely linked to architecture and geometric abstraction. He was the brother of the renowned architect Alejandro de la Sota. His artistic output reached particular prominence between 1955 and 1961. At the same time, he was highly active as a furniture designer and interior designer, eventually founding the Cores y Sota project with Amparo Cores, dedicated to the design and production of contemporary furniture. He participated in various national and international exhibitions, including the Hispano-American Art Exhibitions, as well as traveling exhibitions of Spanish art organized abroad. His work has been the subject of retrospectives and monographic exhibitions, notably *Silences and Rhythms. Drawings and Paintings by Jesús de la Sota (1955–1961), presented in Madrid and later at the Gustavo de Maeztu Museum in Estella-Lizarra. His work has also been highlighted in exhibitions dedicated to Spanish geometric abstraction of the 1950s.
His works are part of Spanish museum collections, including the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid, which houses a significant collection of the artist’s designs and furniture pieces.