Isabel Quintanilla was born in a turbulent time. It was 1938 in Madrid, and her father, a Spanish Republican commandant, was killed shortly afterwards by the fascists. Though she married the sculptor Francisco Lopéz, and circulated in Spain’s avant-garde circles, Quintanilla was never well known in her native country. And while the world was responding to Abstract Expressionism and Pop art, she created still lifes of domestic objects—gloves, a plant, a glass of water—in a realist style, quiet and poised. This Spanish artist, who died in 2017, now receives her first retrospective, featuring around 100 works. —Elena Clavarino
The Arts Intel Report
Isabel Quintanilla's Intimate Realism
Isabel Quintanilla, Bathroom, 1968.
When
Feb 27 – June 2, 2024
Where
Etc
Photo: © Isabel Quintanilla/VEGAP, Madrid, 2024