Sunol Alvar
Biography
Alvar
Sunol Munoz-Ramos was born on January 29, 1935, in Montfat, a Catalan
fishing village on the Mediterranean coast. He attended the Escuela
Superior de Bella Artes de Alhambra de Granada, a summer scholarship study
trip to Granada. He returned home and entered a painting in a competition
for the Young Painters Prize sponsored by the City of Barcelona. He won
the Grand Prize. The painting is now in the permanent collection of the
Museum of Modern Art, Barcelona, Spain.
In
1957, at the age of 22, Alvar gave his first One Man Show at the Galleries
Layetana, Barcelona. Because of the success of this exhibit, Alvar
received many invitations for shows in other Spanish cities. During his
military service he entered one of his canvases for the annual painting
competition at the Institut Francais, Barcelona. He won the Grand Prize, a
spring time trip to Paris.
Alvar
arrived in Paris to paint in 1959. He met Juan Fuentes, a fellow Spaniard
and director of the prestigious Parisian Galerie Drouant. Fuentes
encourages Alvar in his painting and brought Alvar's first group of Paris
oil paintings to the gallery. Fuentes' gallery sold the paintings in one
week.
Alvar
returned to Barcelona in 1960 to marry his childhood sweetheart, Rosella
Berenguer. They returned to Paris and lived there for ten years. Alvar's
paintings were exhibited in the United States for the first time at the
Monede Gallery, New York in 1962. Alvar produced his first original
lithographs for a one man show at Galerie Drouant in 1963.
Since
that time Alvar has exhibited regularly throughout Europe, the United
States and Canada. Alvar's graphic art received public praise at an
exhibition given by the Musee Hyacinthe Rigand in Perpignan, France in
1978.
The
Utah Museum of Fine Art, Salt Lake City, Utah and The Wichita Art Museum,
Wichita, Kansas, held major exhibitions of his lithographs, paintings and
sculptures in 1982 and 1983. Kansas, held major exhibitions of his
lithographs, paintings and sculptures in 1982 and 1983.
The
Galerie Takashumaya, Tokyo, was his first exposure in Japan in a group
showing with Picasso and Chigall. The Kumanoto Museum and Fukuola Museum
purchased his lithographs for permanent display.
Alvar
lives in a small town outside Barcelona. He continues to create art in the
medium of oil painting, lithography, watercolor, bronze, ceramic bas
relief and precious metal sculpture.
Awards:
Prize of Honor, "Annual Prize of Fine Arts of Badalona"
First Prize, "Young Art" Barcelona
Second Medal, "Young Painters" Barcelona
Prize Fomento Turismo
Prize of the Museum of Barcelona for his graphics
Sao Paulo Biennial Honorable Mention Painting
Venice Biennial, Representing Holland, won UNESCP prize
Guggenheim International Award
