Ángeles Santos Torroella

She was born into the family of a customs officer and was the eldest of eight children. Every three years, the family moved to a new place of service of the father, who cared about the artistic talent of his daughter.

During three years Angeles went to a school at the Dominican monastery and took private lessons from Italian artist and restorer Cellino Perotti, who taught her to draw plot pictures for tapestries.

Angeles organized her first solo exhibition in 1929, received very good reviews; famous artists, including Federico Garcia Lorca, wrote letters to her and visited her. The beginning artist participated in the IX Autumn Salon of Madrid, where a separate room was set aside for her work. Having received an invitation from the elite Lyceum Club of the capital, she moved to Madrid.

Getting acquainted with avant-garde artists J. Ribera and J. Cabanas, the artist received new ways of self-development. Her father organized a solo exhibition in Paris, at the gallery Charles-August Girard. In the next year, she participated in the collective exhibition in Copenhagen, and then at the Flechtheim’s gallery in Berlin. Several works of the artist selected by the Carnegie Institute traveled to various cities of the United States.

Exhibited her paintings at one of the galleries in Barcelona. Met Grau Sala; under the influence of his paintings she began to learn more relaxed style of painting. Collaborated with Garcia Lorca, creating decorations in the theater of Barcelona. A year later, she participated in the exposition of the Spanish pavilion at the Venice Biennale. She married G. Sala, visited France and England.

The personal exhibition of the artist was held in Zaragoza. A year later, the artist exhibited her paintings in Barcelona at a major National Exhibition of Fine Arts and individually in the Casa del Libro. During the war, she devoted a lot of time to illustrating children’s books.

The artist was invited to the III Spanish-American Biennale of Arts in Barcelona. Quite a significant break began in the art of the painter.

Went to Paris to reunite with her husband. Gradually returning to painting, she created landscapes of Paris, Barcelona, ​​Cadaques and Sitges.Отправилась в Париж, чтобы воссоединиться с мужем. Постепенно возвращаясь к живописи, она выполнила пейзажи Парижа, Барселоны, Кадакеса, Сиджеса.

The self-portrait of the artist was included in the 1966 Ante el espejo exhibition, which presented the works of the most famous Catalan artists. A year later, she took part in the VI Guest Room of Contemporary Art with paintings of the 1930s, which again caused a sensation in Barcelona.

The collective exhibition “Surrealistes empordanesos” was organized by the Museu de l’Empordà in Figueres. In the following years, solo exhibitions were held in Madrid (El Cisne Gallery), Sitges (Agora Gallery 3), and Zaragoza.

Participated in the exhibition Lilas y calavera and in the show titled “Women in Contemporary Spanish Art, 1900-1984”, held at the Conde Duque Cultural Center in Madrid.

The early works of the artist participated in the exhibition “Out of order”, representing women artists of the Spanish avant-garde. The exhibition organized by the Cultural Foundation Mapfre-Vida was held in Madrid and Barcelona at the Museum of Modern Art.

In connection with the 90th anniversary, monographic articles about the artist were published, reports on exhibitions of her works appeared in several national newspapers; The Albert Pozuelo and Madrid Gallery dedicated the Angeles Santos to a small anthology.

The retrospective exhibition of Santos was held at the Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa exhibition hall; one more retrospective exhibition was organized by the Museum of Spanish Contemporary Art Patio Herreriano.

Santos was awarded the government award of Catalonia “Creu de Sant Jordi”. The artist continued to paint every day until the end of her life.

She died on October 3, 2013 in Madrid, Spain.