José Gómez Abad

JOSÉ GÓMEZ ABAD (Pechina, 1904 – Almería, 1993).
“Chanca,” 1969.
Oil on canvas mounted on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner. Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse.
Measurements: 34 x 40 cm; 47 x 52.5 cm (frame).
La Chanca, a historic neighborhood in Almería located next to the Pescadería district, is one of the city’s most iconic areas due to its unique architecture, its cave houses, and the strong sense of identity among its residents. Throughout the 20th century, it became a source of inspiration for numerous artists due to its streets, its landscape, and the daily life of its residents.
A painter of precocious talent, José Gómez Abad began his artistic training at the age of eleven and later enrolled in the Almería School of Arts and Crafts, where he would go on to teach years later. He began painting professionally after settling in Barcelona, where, in the 1940s, he regularly exhibited his work at venues such as the Augusta and the Layetanas galleries. Gómez Abad was part of the Indaliano Movement’s literary circles in Almería and was one of the participants in the group’s exhibition held at the National Museum of Modern Art in Madrid in 1947. A painter specializing in rural landscapes and still lifes, he was awarded the 4th Jesús de Perceval Prize for Visual Arts and Architecture in 1991 by the Casa de Almería in Barcelona.