Eduardo Arranz-Bravo
1941 - 2023
“To truly paint is to undress before each painting” -Eduard Arranz-Bravo
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Eduardo Arranz-Bravo. Franklin Bowles Galleries is proud to have represented Arranz-Bravo’s artwork for over 25 years. While he will greatly missed, his spirit will continue on with us in his artwork.—Franklin Bowles
The artist Eduardo Arranz-Bravo died this Friday in his studio in Vallvidrera, according to a statement from the foundation that bears his name in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. Arranz-Bravo turned 82 on the 10th of this month and until the last moment he remained active, pushed by an inner force that led him to paint increasingly larger formats. “It is what keeps me alive, what gives meaning to my life,” the artist confessed in an interview with La Vanguardia conducted on the occasion of his 80th anniversary, when instead of celebrating the anniversary with a retrospective, he wanted to show his recent work. in an exhibition titled Present Continuous (2020-2021). In it he paid tribute to Rembrandt and Van Gogh, the artists who interested him the most.
The death of Arranz-Bravo, who was alone at home, surprised even those closest to him, since he was in good health, there was nothing to suspect the fatal outcome. Just yesterday, the Comanegra publishing house reported, his book of memories, Arranz-Bravo: Des de dins, written by Jordi Garrido , went to press. In the coming days a farewell ceremony will be held at the Sant Gervasi Mortuary. Considered one of the great figures of Catalan art of the sixties, he currently had more projection outside than within our borders, where his work was welcomed with open hands in galleries in New York, San Francisco, Shanghai...
“Painting is what keeps me alive, what gives meaning to my life,” acknowledged the artist, who in his last stage had more recognition outside than within our borders. A circumstance that at some point caused him pain but that he had learned to accept with resignation. He himself summarized his biography like this: "At the age of 23 I entered the Gaspar Gallery, where they exhibited Picasso, Miró... And in Madrid I exhibited at Fernando Vijande, a fabulous period in which I met Warhol. I also had a moment of great activity with Rafael Bartolozzi, the years of Cadaqués... Then, from the nineties onwards, all that disappears, but New York and later China emerge, which revitalize my work internationally. Here I have the feeling that everything is languishing a little , but what can I do? Many years ago I fulfilled my vanity quota."
Eduardo Arranz-Bravo
(Spanish, 1941-2023)
Like Florence in the Renaissance, and Paris and New York more recently, Catalonia has been a very fertile ground for artistic creation. Gaudi, Dalí, Picasso, Miró, and Tàpies are among its most celebrated artists. The latest among them, born in Barcelona and still living there, is Eduardo Arranz-Bravo. With all these artists, Arranz-Bravo shares a passionate desire to paint, a visceral creativity, and outstanding technical skills. His art, like theirs, is unique, inventive, challenging, and in constant evolution. “Life is like a river,” Arranz-Bravo tells us, “it is something you can live from. A river can never live with the water of twenty years ago, now it is living with the present water. I think I am like a river. Nobody can stop this river.”
Arranz-Bravo was born in 1941. During a trip to Paris in 1958, the 17-year old artist’s painting departed from his conventional artistic training – he began to tirelessly churn out radically abstract works. During this time he drew inspiration from the Spanish physicist, Miguel Masriera, who encouraged him to continue his painting. Motivated by his travels in Paris and Italy, in 1959 he enrolled in the Escuela Superior de Bella Artes de San Jorge, in Barcelona. In 1967, Eduardo drastically changed his painting style, beginning a trend the critics have called “new figuration,” a term he detests. Eduardo’s work has continued to grow and evolve throughout his career. However, he does not believe in explaining his art; he believes in selective perception and prefers that each viewer draw his or her own conclusions when interpreting his paintings.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
“ Whimsical and bizarre, powerful and vulnerable, the figures in Arranz-Bravo’s paintings inhabit a strange universe. Often they appear to be made, not of flesh and blood, but of stone or some indescribable material. Arranz-Bravo penetrates the exteriors of his figures, at times literally boring into the inner mechanisms of their physiognomies: capillaries, organs and marrow are exposed. In so doing, he lays bare not only their subconscious minds, but often their very souls as well.”
CURRENT EXHIBITION
ARRANZ-BRAVO: SPECIAL COLLECTION
December 2019
A special group of Arranz-Bravo’s recent paintings will be shown in our New York Gallery starting November 10 to celebrate some very important events in Eduardo’s career. Learn more by viewing our collection below:
ARTIST NEWS
2019
Arranz-Bravo a Cadaqués
February 14, 2019 – May 5, 2019
Fundació Arranz-Bravo, L’Hospitalet, Spain
This exhibition explores Eduardo Arranz-Bravo’s association with the artists and culture of the last Golden Age of Cadaqués. In the 1950s, this Spanish coastal town attracted a group of international artists that paved the way for massive experimentation and productivity, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s when Arranz-Bravo lived and worked there. During this period, his work became more experimental and multi-faceted as he collaborated with other artists and worked in multiple media. The exhibition also includes works by some of Arranz-Bravo’s close friends from the period, including Richard Hamilton and Dieter Roth.
2018
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced that Eduardo Arranz-Bravo has been selected to create the hull artwork for the fourth and final ship of its Breakaway-Plus class, the 325.9-meter (1,069-foot) Norwegian Encore, debuting in Miami in November 2019.
In their press release, NCL stated: “Recognized for his inventive and humanistic approach to abstract art, Arranz-Bravo’s work is showcased throughout the world and portrays a constant evolution that some refer to as futuristic. He is highly regarded, having been the recipient of countless awards and accolades, and was one of three artists chosen to represent the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Eduardo Arranz-Bravo
August 4, 2018 – September 16, 2018
Bendormiens Castle, Palamόs, Spain
Castell d’Aro’s Benedormiens Castle, located in the town of Palamόs, Spain, hosted an exhibition of works by Eduardo Arranz-Bravo from August 4, 2018 to September 16, 2018. The show, organized by the Department of Culture, featured over 25 new works by the artist displayed on the stunning stone-lined walls of the castle. There is a commemorative catalog which accompanied the exhibition.
Contrapunt
February 15th, 2018 – April 22, 2018
Fundació Arranz-Bravo, L’Hospitalet, Spain
Students from the ELISAVA Barcelona School of Design and Engineering take a tour of Arranz-Bravo's studio.
2017
ARRANZ-BRAVO 75/75
Spring 2017
Fundació Arranz-Bravo, L’Hospitalet, Spain
This exhibition, a celebration of Eduardo Arranz-Bravo’s 75th birthday, featured 75 retrospective works representing all the artistic phases of his career. Seventy-five individuals from the worlds of culture and civil society were invited to select and comment on one of the works and their interpretations are included with the artworks.
This project went beyond homage. The Foundation used this exhibition as a way to continue working toward one of their primary missions –artistic communication. They believe that, all too often, contemporary art exists in complete disconnection from society. The public rarely visits art centers and many leading lights in the world of culture – poets, writers, thinkers – feel no connection with today’s art. The exhibition, Arranz-Bravo 75/75, was a fresh attempt to redress this state of affairs. Art is made not only by the artist; art is an extraordinary assertion of the collective. The contribution made by each participant has helped to build an unusual and important artistic biography of Eduardo Arranz-Bravo.
2016
