Julián Grau Santos

Canfranc, Huesca, 1937

Julián Grau Santos is one of the most prominent names in Spanish figurative painting of the second half of the 20th century. The son of the painters Emilio Grau Sala and Ángeles Santos, he grew up in an environment deeply connected with artistic creation and trained at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona.

His stays in Paris gave him first-hand knowledge of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist tradition, with particular attention to artists such as Cézanne, Sisley, Renoir, Monet and Van Gogh. These influences, absorbed in a personal way, lie at the origin of a painting characterised by the importance of light, colour and a fluid, expressive brushstroke.

Still lifes, landscapes, gardens, interiors and scenes of everyday life are among his recurring subjects. Without belonging to any particular movement, Grau Santos has helped renew the figurative tradition through painting of great atmospheric sensitivity, capable of turning the everyday into an essentially pictorial experience.

His career includes numerous exhibitions in Spain and abroad and a significant presence in public and private collections. Since 1980 he has been a member of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and his work holds an established place in contemporary Spanish figurative painting.