Spanish Artist Juan Genovés, Known for Democratic Transition Works, Dies at 90
Juan Genovés, a prominent Spanish artist who vividly illustrated Spain's journey to democracy, has died. One of his most famous pieces, a 1976 screenprint titled El Abrazo (The Embrace), emerged after the passing of Francisco Franco and portrays workers embracing while facing away, symbolizing the democracy movement. Over 500,000 copies of this influential work were made, leading to Genovés being imprisoned for a week. Throughout his career, he received several honors, including the Mention of Honor at the Venice Biennale in 1966 and Spain's Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas in 1984. His art is held in major collections worldwide, like the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid. Born in 1930, he passed away in 2020.
Key facts
- Juan Genovés died in 2020 at age 90
- His most famous work is El Abrazo (The Embrace) from 1976
- Over 500,000 reproductions of El Abrazo were printed
- He was imprisoned for a week due to El Abrazo
- He won the Mention of Honor at the 1966 Venice Biennale
- His work is in collections at MoMA, Guggenheim, and Reina Sofía
- He was associated with groups Los Siete, Parpallós, and Hondo
- He shifted to social realism after a crisis about art's purpose under dictatorship
Entities
Artists
- Juan Genovés
Institutions
- Museum of Modern Art
- The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- The Smithsonian Institution
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
- Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM)
- Galeria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
- Venice Biennale
- VI Biennale Internazionale de San Marino
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Washington, DC
- Chicago
- Madrid
- Spain
- Rome
- Italy