Antonio Murado
Keenly attuned to the dynamic history of European painting, Murado has created a practice that speaks to this history.
b. 1964, Spain
Lives in New York, USA
Spanish born Antonio Murado has exhibited in a wide international context over the past three decades. A highly versatile artist, Murado is equally accomplished in creating abstract and representational paintings. He states, “I have always worked in an intermediate territory between figuration and abstraction.” This liminal space has proven rich; Murado has produced a highly accomplished body of work. Slipping in and out of a pictorial register, Murado’s paintings have a dreamlike quality. They entice the viewer to lose themselves in sensory enchantment, to daydream or meditate.
Keenly attuned to the dynamic history of European painting, Murado has created a practice that speaks to this history. His work has responded to Goya in particular, while also operating within a contemporary context. Drawing parallels with other contemporary painters, one could cite the practices of Polish artist Wilhelm Sasnal or German painter Albert Oehlen. Yet Murado’s work is lighter in both palette and sentiment than either of these artists. His work is poetic where theirs is critical, sublime where theirs can be abrasive. What they share in common is an examination in the space between spaces, an exploratory engagement with paint to generate a visual field that registers as both pictorial and gestural.
For as long as it has been practiced, from pre-historic depictions of wild animals to contemporary works of brightly coloured abstraction, painting has possessed the fascinating power to stimulate the imagination. Through his poignant explorations of the in-between, Murado taps into this rich vein, enticing his viewers to enjoy interpretive possibilities within his paintings.
Born in 1964 in the province of Lugo in Galician Spain, Murado currently lives in New York City. His paintings have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world, and are held in prominent museum, corporate, and private collections including The Galician Center of Contemporary Art, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; The Museum of Fine Art, Vitoria, Spain; The Nagasaki Art Museum, Japan; and in Collections of Phillip Morris, American Express, Chase Manhattan Bank, AXA, Pfizer, and The Coca-Cola Corporation.
Gow Langsford Gallery has represented Antonio Murado since 1997.
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Between Waking and Dreaming
Antonio Murado 12 Jul - 5 Aug 2023 Auckland CityThe works presented in Between Waking and Dreaming further Murado’s exploration of his ‘blown paint’ technique. By blowing liquid paint across pale, semi-transparent backgrounds, Murado creates paint impressions that can be read as flower petals, seemingly floating across the vigorously painted background, which could be read as cascading water. Though this impression is more interpretive than literal. In another sense, these works could be read in terms of gestural abstraction. Whichever way one choses to read them, these paintings are lyrical and immersive.Read more -
Leda
Antonio Murado 21 Apr - 15 May 2021We are pleased to exhibit a new body of works by Spanish born, New York based artist Antonio Murado. In Leda, Murado continues to explore ideas from previous works; alternating between both abstract and landscape painting.Read more
In recent years the artist has produced large expansive canvases that are heavily monochromatic in tone. The emphasis is on the medium itself and explores the alchemy of paint and varnish and the effect these have layered upon one another. In this new series, Murado continues this investigation with fields of abstract gestures in soft muted tones, and returns to his more iconic layering of delicate blooms and petals. These flowers are formed not with a brush but by blowing and scraping the oil paint onto the surface. The resulting works have a simplistic and elegant ease with the surface creating unique textures and depth within the varying layers. -
New Works
Antonio Murado 26 Jul - 19 Aug 2017 Auckland CitySpanish born painter Antonio Murado continually pushes the boundaries with his painting techniques. While a brush upon canvas may be the preferred method by many, Murado employs the acts of scraping, blowing, peeling and corroding his mediums in order to create his seemingly delicate works. Fresh from his New York studio where he now resides, New Works is an exhibition which showcases his skills as a painter who cannot be categorised within a single genre. His works weave through that of landscape and abstraction; showcasing a fine balance between both, as flower petals float within sweeps of gestural oil paint.Read more -
New Works
Antonio Murado 28 Jan - 28 Feb 2015 Lorne Street [2008 - 2021]In this new series of works, Spanish-born painter Antonio Murado expands on techniques and themes from his 2012 exhibition By the Stream.Read more
Oscillating between abstraction and representation, Murado creates conditions under which materials are made to perform and react. Relying on the chemical nature of his chosen materials, elements are put down in layers and then subsequently worked on with unusual techniques. A turpentine-soaked brush will touch over thick paint, allowing an element of chance to unfold on the surface, which is then re-worked and managed. There is an intuitive process of observation that guides what to add, what to remove and what remains. Diluted pigment is blown to form delicate petals which seem to glide across the works. -
By The Stream
Antonio Murado 8 Aug - 1 Sep 2012 Auckland CityGow Langsford Gallery is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new works by Antonio Murado. Murado is an extraordinarily versatile painter with his works ranging from heavily textured impasto...Read more
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Sydney Contemporary 2024 | Booth C02
5 - 8 Sep 2024Gow Langsford Gallery returns to Sydney Contemporary , bringing with it a rich tapestry of talent cultivated over the years. The central focus of the...Read more -
Sydney Contemporary 2015 | Booth B02
10 - 13 Sep 2015We are excited to be participating in Sydney Contemporary 2015. Visit us at Booth B2 and see new works by Judy Millar, Andre Hemer, James Cousins, Graham Fletcher, Dale Frank and Paul Dibble alongside works by Colin McCahon, Gordon Walters, Jono Rotman and Tony Cragg.Read more