Antonio Saura (1930-1998)Technique: Oil on boardMeasurements: 50 x 39 cmTitle : “Head"Signed: lower right corner "Saura 67"Biography:Antonio Saura Atarés (September 22, 1930 – July 22, 1998) was a Spanish artist and writer, one of the major post-war painters to emerge in Spain in the fifties whose work has marked several generations of artists and whose critical voice is often remembered.Limiting his palette to blacks, grays and browns, Saura asserted a personal style that was independent of the movements and trends of his generation. His work followed in the tradition of Velasquez and Goya. Starting in 1959 he began creating a prolific body of works in print, illustrating numerous books including Cervantes's Don Quijote, Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, Nöstlinger's adaptation of Pinocchio, Kafka’s Tagebücher, Quevedo’s Three Visions, and many others.In 1960 Saura began creating sculptures made of welded metal elements which represented the human figure, characters and crucifixions. In 1967 he settled permanently in Paris, and joined the opposition to Francoist Spain. In France he participated in numerous debates and controversies in the fields of politics, aesthetics and artistic creation. He also broadened his thematic and pictorial register. Along with his Femmefauteuil (literally "Womanarmchair"), he also worked on the series "Imaginary Portraits", and Goya’s Dog and Imaginary Portraits of Goya begin to take shape.In 1971 he temporarily abandoned painting on canvas to devote himself to writing, drawing and painting on paper. In 1977, Rolf Lauter and Antonio Saura met for the first time in the Rodolphe Stadler gallery Paris and started a dialogue and a long-standing friendship. In 1979, the collaboration gave rise to the first major retrospective at the Galerie de Margarete Lauter Mannheim[2] with more than 50 images and drawings,[3] followed by many other presentations.[4] In 1989 Lauter - then Chief Curator of the Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt - has been co-organizer with Katharina Winnekes of the Frankfurt exhibition The Abused Man with works by Saura, Millares and Canogar.[5] In 1977 Saura began publishing his writings, and he created several stage designs for the theatre, ballet and opera, thanks to the collaboration with his brother, the film director Carlos Saura. From 1983 to his death in 1998, he revisited all of his themes and figures.

This is in very good condition with age appropriate wear. Provenance available upon request. Private Collection.