202 - FERNANDO BELLVER (Madrid, 1954).

FERNANDO BELLVER (Madrid, 1954). Untitled, 1983. Oil on canvas mounted on Tablex. The frame has some minor imperfections. Signed and dated in the lower left corner. Measurements: 97 x 106 cm; 100 x 110 cm (frame). Fernando Bellver’s artistic universe maintains a close connection to popular culture and, in particular, to the language of comics and illustration. In this work, the artist incorporates some of the characteristic elements of this medium—defined lines, the synthesis of forms, a penchant for storytelling, and character development—to create his own unique visual universe. Trained in Madrid and later in Oslo, where he received a fellowship from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture, Bellver has, since the 1980s, developed a personal artistic language in which drawing, printmaking, irony, and imagination become tools for observing and reinterpreting the world. His international career began very early on. In the 1980s, he participated in ARCO and was invited to the Impact Art Festival in Kyoto, while maintaining an intense exhibition schedule in Europe, the United States, and Asia. His reputation was solidified through solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Granada and the City University of New York, as well as his participation in major international art fairs, including Art Expo New York and Art Basel. His career has been honored with major awards, including the Gold Medal for Printmaking at the Alexandria Biennale, and his prestige in this field led him to serve on the jury for the National Printmaking Prize at the Calcografía Nacional.Today, his work is included in prominent public and private collections, including the Reina Sofía National Art Museum, the National Library, the ICO Collection, the Marcelino Botín Foundation, the National Engraving Institute, the Conde Duque Center in Madrid, the Museums of Contemporary Art in Cairo and Jaén, the Museum of Fine Arts in Granada, and New York University, as well as major private collections such as those of Juan March, BBVA, and Chase Manhattan Bank.