Antonio Fuertes

The Spanish artist Antonio Fuertes (1970) studied at the ‘Facultad de Bellas Artes’ of the University of Madrid with his final year at the ‘Hogeschool voor
de Kunsten’ in Utrecht, the Netherlands. After his graduation in 1994, Fuertes stayed in the Netherlands where he currently lives and works in Amsterdam.


Fuertes is particularly renowned for his still lifes, in which light plays a key role. 'I often imagine my paintings as a theatre stage. The light is given the
role of director, determining what will happen on stage and what the actors will do.’ The light is bringing the canvas to life and makes the image almost
tangible.


As actors, the painter introduces often familiar elements of classical still lifes, particularly fruit: ‘During my youth in Andalusia fruit was everywhere: oranges, lemons, figs, mandarins, pears and so on. My father had a 'huerta', a kind of orchard that produced the finest and most delicious fruit. For me it was a kind of paradise.’


His technique is in line with that of classical master painters of the Golden Age such as Rembrandt, Velázquez and Ribera. The multiple layers –at least
15- of transparent paint and relief in the paint skin provide the depth that is so characteristic of Antonio...

1989 - 1994: ‘Facultad de Bellas Artes’ (faculty of fine arts) at the ‘Universidad Complutense’ (university of Madrid), Madrid, Spain

(1993/94: ‘Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht’ (Utrecht school of arts), Utrecht (Erasmus scholarship)

1987 - 1989: ‘Escuela de Artes Aplicadas Oficios Artísticos’ (school for applied arts and artistic crafts), Soria, Spain

2018: Amsterdam Artspace, Greenfield+Oaktree, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
activity: ‘Met het Mes op Tafel’, joint exhibition with Kees Elffers

2007-present: Smelik & Stokking Galleries, Amsterdam, The Hague (until 2012 also Rotterdam)
activity: Various individual and collective exhibitions

2001-present: Gallery ‘Kunst+Co’, Amstelveen
activity: Various individual and collective exhibitions

2015: Art & Antiques Fair ’s-Hertogenbosch
activity: Collective exhibition through ‘Galerie Terbeek’ (Beetsterzwaag)

2013: Museum Joure’, Joure
activity: ‘Vallend Fruit’ (‘Falling Fruit’), exhibition of co-creations with Kees Elffers (still lifes on zebrano wood)

2012: ‘Galerie Terbeek’, Beetsterzwaag
activity: ‘Frozen’, collective exhibition

2007: ‘Realisme 07’ (fair for realistic art), Amsterdam
activity: Collective exhibition through ‘Galerie Vieleers’

2001: ‘Stadsmuseum Woerden’, Woerden
activity:‘Contrastes’, individual exhibition

1999: ‘Museum Joure’, Joure
activity: Individual exhibition through ‘Stichting Johannes Hesselhuis’

1998: Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Hague
activity: Collective exhibition on Spanish art

1998: ‘Kunst RAI’ (art fair), Amsterdam
activity: Individual exhibition through ‘Ins...