Text extracted from the book Esencia de Gran

Twenty years is nothing ……….

“Esencia de GRAN” was born with the intention of commemorating twenty years of the absence of one of the greatest exponents of Spanish 20th century painting.

Twenty tremendously fruitful years for the dissemination of the enormous legacy of Enrique Gran, whose work is essential for understanding Abstraction in our country.

Twenty exciting years for the Foundation over which I preside, in which, through exhibitions, publications, conferences and multidisciplinary meetings, we have tried to bring art lovers the “creative universe” of this “excessive” painter and humanist.

Projects that have allowed us to present in an unprecedented way from his most intimate work: drawings that cover not only the freshness of the comic world, but also the density and drama of his “black paintings”, to the incarnation of his feminine work through photography, including collaborations with some of the greatest figures of art and culture of our country, such as the painter Antonio López, the writer Francisco Nieva, the filmmaker Víctor Erice, the academic José Manuel Blecua, the writer Juan José Millás,…. whose testimonies have accurately described GRAN’s complex personality, one of which we have transcribed for this publication because it masterfully describes the pictorial excellence of a universal artist.

Twenty years missing his charisma, his imposing humanity, healing the hasty end of an artist in his prime…

In short, twenty years “full of GRAN”, which complete the fascinating artistic portrait of Enrique Gran’s polyhedral talent.

Begoña Merino Gran

President of the Enrique Gran Foundation