Antonio de Felipe

ANTONIO DE FELIPE (Valencia, 1965).
“The Leap,” 2008.
Acrylic on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 201 x 200 cm.
In *El salto*, Antonio de Felipe once again reimagines one of the great icons of popular culture: Superman, depicted here in a swimsuit mid-leap against a backdrop of intense pop art.The composition establishes a direct dialogue with David Hockney’s *A Bigger Splash* (1967), replacing the absent figure from the famous Californian scene with the superhero, thereby transforming an emblematic image of contemporary painting into an ironic and lighthearted interpretation.
With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of San Carlos in Valencia, Antonio de Felipe began his career working as a creative at an advertising agency—a fact that would undoubtedly shape his future painterly style. He is considered a Pop artist—or more specifically, part of the “Les noveaux Pop” movement, alongside other international artists linked to the Pop world—in the broadest sense of the word—developing his extensive body of work across different series (Logotipos, Vacas, Cinemaspop, Popsport, among others), always maintaining a purely plastic and visual aesthetic that is clear and accessible to the general public. Color is fundamental—garish and provocative—as is the subject matter, which is very simple and direct. His creative side has led him to collaborate with Pedro Almodóvar on the film “Carne Trémula,” as well as to create transition sequences for Telemadrid and design tableware for the Santa Clara brand. He has contributed to posters, album covers, and major publications such as ByN Dominical (ABC’s Sunday magazine), *El País*, *El Magazine* (the magazine of the *El Mundo* newspaper), *Marie Claire*, *ELLE*, *Qué leer*, and *Rolling Stone* magazine, among others. Over the course of his more than twenty-year career, he has held more than ninety solo exhibitions, both in Spain and abroad, as well as numerous group exhibitions. Her work is currently represented in the Reina Sofía Museum, the IVAM, the Sidney Besthoff Foundation in New Orleans, the Testimoni, Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Kneip Collections in Luxembourg, and the Montblanc Cultural Foundation, among other public and private collections in Spain and abroad. In addition to this national and international presence, he has participated in art fairs such as ARCO, ART COLOGNE, ART PARIS, ART BRUSSELS, ST-ART Strasbourg, and KIAF (Korea International Art Fair)—key venues for discovering the latest artistic trends.