A. Lopez Biography
Antonio Lopez Garcia (1936 - ) is a Spanish painter and sculptor, known for his realistic style. Born in the Castilian city of Tomelloso, La Mancha, his early vocation for drawing, as well as the influence of his uncle, the painter Antonio López Torres, determined his decision to dedicate himself to painting. In 1949 he moved to Madrid to prepare for admission to the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, where he coincided with various artists with whom he formed what was called the Madrid School. He remained at the academy between 1950 and 1955. In 1955, thanks to a scholarship, he went to Italy, where he encountered Italian Renaissance painting for the first time. He began to reevaluate classical Spanish painting, which he knew so well, thanks to frequent visits to the Prado Museum, especially Diego Velázquez. After completing his studies, he held his first solo exhibitions in 1957 and 1961 in Madrid, working both in this city and in the one where he was born. In 1961 he married the painter María Moreno, a union from which two daughters were born: María in 1962 and Carmen in 1965. From the latter year until 1969 he was a professor in charge of preparatory color at the School of Fine Arts of San Ferdinando. In January 1993 he was appointed member of the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid and in the same year the Reina Sofía Museum dedicated an anthological exhibition to him. In 2008 the Boston Museum of Fine Arts dedicated a monographic exhibition to him. Furthermore, his work Madrid from Torres Blancas reached the figure of 1,918,000 pounds at a Christie's auction in London, the highest sum paid so far for a work by a living Spanish artist. In 2011 the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts dedicated temporary exhibitions with works from all phases, but especially from their latest production.
