Caballero

Biography of Jose Caballero:
Huelva 1915 - Madrid 1991
After studying in Huelva, where he demonstrated his drawing skills, Jose Caballero met the poet Adriano del Valle in the late 1920s.

From 1932 to 1936, Caballero studied at the School of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid and in the studio of Vázquez Díaz, where he focused on drawings and tempera paintings.

Through Vázquez Díaz, he became acquainted with prominent intellectuals such as Lorca, Neruda, Torres García, and Alberti. He was part of the university theater "La Barraca," creating drawings for Lorca’s first edition of "Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías" in 1935. He also designed the set for the premiere of "Bodas de Sangre" in Barcelona and illustrated the first issue of the magazine "Caballo Verde para la Poesía," founded and directed by Neruda. The Spanish Civil War caught him spending the summer with his family in Huelva.

The 1940s were the most desolate years of Caballero’s life, according to the artist himself. He had lost everything: friends, work, and his family was in exile. To survive, he dedicated himself to theatrical, cinematographic, and folkloric scenography.

In 1950, he held his first solo exhibition at the Clan Gallery. His work progressively moved away from figuration. Caballero experimented with various materials and supports, making him one of the most interesting Spanish artists representing the abstract avant-garde of the second half of the 20th century. In 1957, he met Picasso and Miró in Nice. In 1964, he became part of the artists represented by the Juana Mordó Gallery. He had over 70 solo exhibitions in Spain and several more in Europe and America.

Caballero participated in biennials in Pittsburgh, Venice, and Sao Paulo, as well as international events like Basel, ARCO, and Miami, and in the Universal Expositions of Brussels and New York. In 1984, he received the National Prize for Plastic Arts, and his work is found in institutions such as the Reina Sofía National Art Center Museum in Madrid, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin, Texas (USA), the Carnegie Institute Foundation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA), and the National Gallery of International Art in Sofia, Bulgaria.