Miquel Barceló

A traveller, explorer and connoisseur, the Mallorcan artist Miquel Barceló (1957–) has been creating art for over fifty years. Under his artist-craftsman’s hands (brush, saw, knife, scraper…), the human figure, fauna, flora and landscape take on into apparitions, hybrids, bestiaries and marvellous herbariums. Inspired by his native land, nourished by encounters and with a passion for literature, his imagination unfolds a fertile personal mythology and a rich visual vocabulary. Experimenting with pigments, varnishes, clays and tools, the artist constantly reinvents the act of creation.

In this multifaceted monograph produced in collaboration with Barceló on the eve of his 70th birthday, literature, philosophy and art history intertwine. All the artist’s techniques are featured – painting, sculpture, printmaking, graphic arts and set design – along with views of his studios in Mallorca and Paris. Illustrated with recent and previously unpublished photographs, the book invites readers to explore the 50-year career and the creative world of one of the most important artists of the contemporary era.