Fundación Bancaja opens centennial retrospective of Spanish painter Ximo Michavila in Valencia

Centennial retrospective in Valencia

Fundación Bancaja in Valencia opens the exhibition "Ximo Michavila. Centenario (1926-2026)" on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, marking 100 years since the painter's birth. The retrospective will remain open to the public at the institution's headquarters in Plaza Tetuán through 14 February 2027. Curated by art historian Juan Manuel Bonet, former director of the IVAM and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the retrospective gathers 100 works produced between 1951 and 2004. Rafael Alcón, president of Fundación Bancaja, stated during the presentation that the exhibition serves to reintroduce the artist to familiar audiences and reveal his work to younger generations. Carmen Michavila, the artist's daughter, collaborated on the organization to present all stages of his career, expressing hope that the exhibition will tour other cultural institutions after its Valencia run.

We have created a total Michavila.

Creative evolution across six decades

The retrospective covers six decades of Michavila's career across figuration, geometric constructivism, landscape abstraction, and musical studies. Born in l'Alcora in 1926 and deceased in Albalat dels Tarongers in 2016, Michavila initially trained as a teacher before abandoning philosophy and literature studies to enroll at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos. His early life was disrupted by the Spanish Civil War, during which an air bombardment in 1937 killed his grandmother and left him with severe injuries. The earliest piece on display is a 1951 portrait of his father in his library, shown alongside a portrait of writer Joan Fuster and early urban depictions of Valencia, including "Circo de suburbio".

He is a child of the war, of that generation marked physically and psychologically by the Civil War, and also the post-war period.

Albufera landscapes and musical influences

After building recognition with geometric abstraction during the 1960s and 1970s through groups like Grupo Parpalló and galleries including Madrid's Espacio Theo, Michavila experienced an artistic crisis and mental block. Following psychological guidance to seek a calming landscape, he drove his Land Rover to the Albufera freshwater lagoon south of Valencia, commencing an abstract landscape cycle in 1978. Bonet noted that these lakeside compositions aligned with what Elaine de Kooning called abstract impressionism, practiced in Spain by Fernando Zóbel and Albert Ràfols-Casamada. The retrospective also incorporates a dedicated audio room highlighting musical influences. Visitors can view paintings inspired by experimental composer John Cage, whom Michavila encountered at the 1972 Pamplona Encounters, accompanied by music from Kurt Weill, Arnold Schönberg, and Pierre Schaeffer.

Archival records and institutional loans

The exhibition brings together pieces contributed by more than 50 public and private lenders, including the Museo de Bellas Artes de València, Universitat de València, Colección Martínez Guerricabeitia, Ateneo Mercantil, and the provincial councils of Alicante, Castellón, and Valencia. Several paintings appear in public for the first time, including "Llac nocturno" (circa 1980), "R+A2:C7-646" (1982), and "Alborada" (2004). In addition to canvases, the display features over 80 archival items preserved by the Archivo General y Fotográfico de la Diputación de Valencia. These holdings encompass personal correspondence, graphic materials, photographs, and theatrical set designs Michavila created for the Teatro Español Universitario under director Antonio Díaz Zamora.