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Andres Garcia Ibanez has always dreamed of being an artist. His mother recalls that he had started to paint even before he could walk! His grandfather, who was considered a ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ of his village (a painter, gilder, carpenter, watchmaker, sculptor, engraver and musician), taught him to paint as a child and, from the age of 13, he began to copy the work of the great masters - Greco, Velázquez and Rembrandt.
By the age of 16, he had studied and copied every single painting by Goya and, by the following year, he was ready to develop his own style and subject matter. In 1989, he began to exhibit his work, with several group shows across Spain. Also in this year, he was awarded first prize in the prestigious ‘Jovenes Pintores Andaluces’ contest (Young Andalusian Painters).
Whilst studying and painting the great masters, Ibanez studied at the University of Navarra, completing a degree in Town Architecture in 1996. Since then, he has been involved in over 20 group exhibitions throughout Spain, as well as over 30 one-man shows across Europe. His first publication, ‘Hablando de Goya: Apariciones y Descubujos’, a critical analysis of the 18th century Spanish master’s paintings, was published in 1991.
Ibanez has been privileged to complete several important works for religious establishments during his career. In 1993, he produced a painting for St Peter’s Basilica, Rome and in the same year, the official inauguration took place of the Vault of the Chapel of the Esperanza in Malaga. This was followed two years later by Ibanez’s first painting for the Cathedral of San Salvador. ‘The Crucifixion’ was joined by seven further works, which were commissioned by the Cathedral in 1996. In 1997, he completed an altarpiece for San Salvador Cathedral as well as eight paintings for the Basilica de la Merced in Madrid.
He also spent time working on his most prestigious commission to date from the Republic of El Salvador in Central America – a painting for the Vault of the Cathedral, covering a surface of 1,000 square metres and featuring ‘The Salvation Of The World’.
Ibanez has received many accolades and prizes for his work, including in 1999 the National Medal from UNICEF to honour his work for the charity. His paintings are included in many impressive private collections throughout the world.
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