Eduardo Arroyo

For the Bolivian sport shooter, seeEduardo Arroyo (sport shooter).For the Ecuadorian painter, seeEduardo X Arroyo.

In thisSpanish name,the first or paternalsurnameisArroyoand the second or maternal family name isRodríguez.

Eduardo Arroyo Rodríguez(26 February 1937 – 14 October 2018)was a Spanishpainterandgraphic artist.He was also active as anauthorandset designer.Arroyo is regarded as one of the most important exponents of politically committed realism.

Biography

Arroyo was born inMadridto aLeonesefamily and originally trained a journalist, graduating from School of Journalism, Madrid in 1957. Following his studies and growing contempt for theFrancoist Spain,Arroyo emigrated to Paris at the age of 21. He originally began working as an author and journalist, but soon decided to devote himself to painting.

InParis,he befriended members of the young art scene, especiallyGilles Aillaud,with whom he later collaborated in creating stage sets, such asVivre et laisser mourir ou la fin tragique de Marcel Duchamp,a work in eight pieces intended to criticize contemporary French art.He also befriendedJoan Miró.In 1964, he made his breakthrough with his first important exhibition. He dominated the major post-Franco exhibition of Spanish art at the Venice Biennale of 1976. Over 20 years of critical and commercial success followed.

Stylistically, Arroyo's mostly ironic, colorful works are at the crossroads between the trends ofnouvelle figurationorfiguration narrativeandpop art.A characteristic of his representations is the general absence of spatial depth and the flattening of perspective.

Arroyo also became known to a broad public through his many works as a set designer, as well as partially by hiscostume designs.In this relation, he cooperated since 1969 especially with the directorKlaus Michael Grüber,who encouraged him in this activity.Arroyo created sets for, among others, thePiccolo TeatroinMilan,theParis Opéra(in 1976,Richard Wagner'sDie Walküre), theSchaubühne am Lehniner PlatzinBerlinand theSalzburger Festspiele(in 1991,Leoš Janáček'sZ mrtveho domu).

In 1982 he received Spain'sNational Award for Plastic Arts.

Arroyo's stage play,Bantam,premiered at theBayerisches Staatsschauspiel(Residenztheater) inMunichwith great success in 1986, with his friend, Grüber, as director and Ailland andAntonio Recalcatifor sets and costumes.

Commemorative plaque to Eduardo Arroyo in Madrid

Exhibiting since 1961, Arroyo's work has been shown in exhibitions across the globe, including theNeue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst,Berlin (1971); theCentre Pompidou,Paris (1982);Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,NY (1984);Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte,Dortmund, (1987);Institut Valencià d'Art Modern,Valencia (1989);Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía,Madrid (1998), and most recently held a solo exhibition at Fundación ENAIRE in Santander, Spain (2021–22). Arroyo's paintings are showcased at theMuseo de Arte Contemporáneoin Madrid.His most renowned work,Vestido bajando la escalera,belongs to the collection of theInstitut Valencià d'Art Modern,inValència.

External links

• Biography (in Spanish)
• Designs for posters and performance photographs of theatrical productions designed by Arroyo in the archive of the Piccolo Teatro, (in Italian)
• Eduardo Arroyo: Biography & analysis