Rafael Zabaleta moved to Madrid to attend the School of Fine Arts of San Fernando from 1927 to 1931. He broadened his studies with trips to Paris and the contacts that he established with the community of Spanish artists residing there. His first show at the Biosca Gallery in Madrid in 1942 marked the start of his constant presence in the world of exhibitions, with his paintings appearing in such important events as the Brussels World’s Fair (1958) and the Venice Biennale (1960).
He worked in the field of visual experimentation, where the avant-garde meets tradition. His exhaustive knowledge of the artistic currents and movements from the early 20th century and of artists such as Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso made its mark on Zabaleta’s vast output. The Costumbrist nature of his motifs – peasants, motherhood, still-lifes, women in the fields and rural landscapes – often contrasts with a colour pallet where the prevailing tones are those typical of the use of colour in expressionism. He himself pointed to his technical mastery of drawing in the initial phases of his work as the basis and essential cornerstone of his compositions: ‘My drawing is the skeleton of the painting, to which colour has to be added’.
In 1960, the painter’s heirs donated his collection to set up the Rafael Zabaleta Museum in Quesada (Jaén). The venues where his work has been exhibited include the National Modern Art Museum (Madrid, 1951); the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (1955 and 2001); and Atrium, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Basque Country (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 2002). In 2008 and 2009, to mark the centenary of his birth, the ‘Zabaleta 101’ exhibition was held at the Jaén Provincial Museum and then taken to the Almeria Museum Art Centre, Caixa Forum in Barcelona and the Conde Duque Centre in Madrid. In 2017, Elche Contemporary Art Museum hosted an extensive exhibition of his drawings.
Rafael Zabaleta moved to Madrid to attend the School of Fine Arts of San Fernando from 1927 to 1931. He broadened his studies with trips to Paris and the contacts that he established with the community of Spanish artists residing there. His first show at the Biosca Gallery in Madrid in 1942 marked the start of his constant presence in the world of exhibitions, with his paintings appearing in such important events as the Brussels World’s Fair (1958) and the Venice Biennale (1960).
He worked in the field of visual experimentation, where the avant-garde meets tradition. His exhaustive knowledge of the artistic currents and movements from the early 20th century and of artists such as Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso made its mark on Zabaleta’s vast output. The Costumbrist nature of his motifs – peasants, motherhood, still-lifes, women in the fields and rural landscapes – often contrasts with a colour pallet where the prevailing tones are those typical of the use of colour in expressionism. He himself pointed to his technical mastery of drawing in the initial phases of his work as the basis and essential cornerstone of his compositions: ‘My drawing is the skeleton of the painting, to which colour has to be added’.
In 1960, the painter’s heirs donated his collection to set up the Rafael Zabaleta Museum in Quesada (Jaén). The venues where his work has been exhibited include the National Modern Art Museum (Madrid, 1951); the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (1955 and 2001); and Atrium, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Basque Country (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 2002). In 2008 and 2009, to mark the centenary of his birth, the ‘Zabaleta 101’ exhibition was held at the Jaén Provincial Museum and then taken to the Almeria Museum Art Centre, Caixa Forum in Barcelona and the Conde Duque Centre in Madrid. In 2017, Elche Contemporary Art Museum hosted an extensive exhibition of his drawings.