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Manuel Chabrera. Spanish architect and artist, born in Tarragona in 1952 and raised in Andalucia; Chabrera, like Pollock, manages to make the very gesture of painting the subject matter of the piece. As Sandra Miller, British art historian, said, “The subject matter of his compositions is the result of the violence of the physical act to which Chabrera commits himself; and although watching him paint may shock his observers, the results are compositions of great beauty.”

Action painting was the name originally coined by Harold Rosemberg to describe the work of artist Willhem de Kooning, and it is, perhaps, de Kooning who is referenced when describing the work of Chabrera. But Chabrera remains firmly figurative, albeit at a Gestalt level. Although there is a correspondence between abstract expressionism or action painting and the personal expressionism of Chabrera, there are also important and substantial differences. Instead of prioritising the act of painting over the final result, Chabrera inverts the process, prioritising once again the physical object over the concept or idea.

When the European Academy for the Arts, based in Leuze (Belgium), named Manuel Chabrera Adiego as a member, it did so in recognition of the singularity of this architect’s work, where in the concept of a space, sculpture and painting are integrated with the playing with lights and volumes. His work has been displayed around the world for more than 30 years, appearing in cities such as: St. Petersburg, Mexico City, Montreal, Beijing, Shanghai, Guanzhou, Luxembourg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Munich, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Chicago, New York, Indianapolis, Buenos Aires, Geneva, Zurich, Bern, Miami and London. The presence and reach of his work is made evident by the numerous articles that have been written about him, as well as the many recognitions he has received over the years. The books “Inside his paintings: Manuel Chabrera” and “Manuel Chabrera” review the extensive career of this man who not only paints, but also does sculpture and prints. Manuel Chabrera has founded the Chabrera Worldwide Foundationwhich is dedicated to promoting art to under privileged children and adolescents through the distribution of recycled computers, as well as promoting young artists through international exhibitions, and finally to foster and promote the work of Chabrera. Currently, the Foundation is experimenting with the distribution of Open Code software with the intention of allowing children and adolescents to express themselves creatively through new technologies.

• Chabrera Foundation

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