Born on 25th April in the small town of Mula, capital of the River Mula region, Province of Murcia
At the age of 16, in order to fully engage in artistic creation, he started painting on a constant basis. Shortly before, a friend of his father had given him some money for a small painting, with which Gabarrón buys a miniature (a painted medallion) in an antiques shop in Valladolid.
1963
Starts the series of figurative paintings "Landscapes". First trip to Paris (which will be followed by visits to France in 1964, 1967, 1968 and 1970). He also makes his first trip to Italy, which he will visit on a yearly basis throughout the sixties.
1964
Makes his first solo exhibition in the Castilla Gallery of Valladolid and the Macarrón Gallery in Madrid, where he presented figurative paintings of Castilian landscapes. Of this first figurative moment of his career, the artist will say years later that it was "a work of youth, still immature, but with the necessary passion to make a dream possible," "the few works that I made were a failure for me, though inexplicably a success in the market, in the intentionality, the concept and the outcome. It is so, that it made me feel guilty and pushed me to escape to the other side. "It's the only time in my life when I have experienced such a radical breakthrough."
There is a complete turnaround in his work, moving from figuration to a work of informal bias. This is described by the artist as a "sharp cutoff by which I abandon aesthetic and conceptual approaches in search of a course similar to my personal beliefs of the time. First trip to Padua and admiration of Giotto’s Scrovegni chapel in the spring of this year.
1967
First solo exhibition abroad, at the Loeb Gallery in New York and the Arts Perspective Gallery in Paris. On July 16th marries Rosa. Holds an exhibition tribute to Federico García Lorca in the Basque town of Barakaldo.
In January he moves to Paris to perfection the technique of engraving in serigraphy, returns to Spain due to a family problem in February. In mid-April returns to Paris, days later, student movements are initiated at the University of Nanterre, which lasted from May 3rd to early June and is known as the "French May". On May 19th, he returned to Valladolid, where Cris, their first child, was born on the 28th of the same month. At the serigraphy workshop in Paris, many posters with images of Che Guevara and university mottos of the time will be edited. He will not return to the city until October, for the exhibition of a friend of the serigraphy workshop. Holds solo exhibitions at the Art Circle of Granada and the Castilla Gallery of Valladolid. Participates in various collective exhibitions, such as in the exhibition-tribute to "Maestro Zabaleta" in Malaga, at the XXIII National Painting Exhibition of Linares and in the traveling exhibition "Spanish Artists," which opens in the French town of Rouen, and will travel, over the next three years, through different exhibition rooms in Belgium, Germany, Italy, England, Sweden, Egypt, Chile, Yugoslavia and Venezuela. Records the conferences "Thoughts of a painter" and "Stylo in the fine arts”. Participates with illustrations in the books "The poetry of the 80s" and "From Lorca to Luther King".
In Spain, holds solo exhibitions at the College of Noble and Fine Arts of San Eloy, Salamanca, the Art Circle of Salamanca and the Industrial Bank of Leon. For the first time his works can be seen in Italy, at the Stagnini Art Gallery, Rome, and the Rem Gallery in San Marino. He also exhibits at the Parisian Renée Subline Gallery and in Miami at the Karl Pawer Gallery. On this same year, participates in the first edition of the International Biennale of Montecatini in Italy, exhibiting his work in the Provincial Museum of Contemporary Art of the same town. He also participates in the VII International Competition of Pollensa, the II National Painting Contest of Leon and the VII National Exhibition of the Fine Arts Association, Madrid.
During this year he will only hold solo exhibitions in France. At the Fine Arts School in Paris, the Arny Gallery of Bordeaux and the Arts Perspective Gallery of Paris, where he had already exhibited three years earlier. Takes part in the III International Biennale of Paris, and at the Third Painting Biennale of Avila. Creates the series "Vietnam". A set of abstract paintings, made of large spots and a clear restriction of color, through which the painter denounces the horrors of war. Antonio is born on April 1st.
He holds two solo exhibitions in Germany, in Gesemnuhellt, Hannover, and in the Brenang Gallery of Berlin. In Spain, exhibits at the Art Circle in Granada and the Castilla Gallery of Valladolid. On July 2nd, his third child Juan Manuel is born. Participates in the First National Biennale Félix Adelantado, Zaragoza, the International Biennale of Mafriesa de La Coruña and I National Painting Biennale of Zamora. Back in France, also participates in the Third International Biennale of Merignac.
Holds several solo exhibitions in Spain. At the Gaudi Gallery of Barcelona: the Macarrón Gallery in Madrid; the Botticelli Gallery in Gijon; the Rodriguez Mensa Gallery in La Coruna: and in Valladolid at the Studium and El Caballo de Troya galleries. Receives the City of Murcia Award and the First Watercolor Prize in Valladolid. Creates the series of steel sheet sculptures "Forms" and starts the decidedly informalist series of oil on canvas "Series X" on which he will work for three years. Santiago is born on November 8th.
Exhibits at the Colegio Mayor San Jerónimo, which belongs to the University of Granada (Spain) and, under the title "Homage to Baudelaire," at the exhibition room of the Caja de Ahorros de Salamanca y Monte de Piedad, in Salamanca. Also holds exhibitions of his recent work at the Studium Gallery, Valladolid, and the Gaudi Gallery, Barcelona. Participates in the II National Watercolor Award, Valladolid, the II National Painting Biennale of Zamora and in the exhibition "The Art of Illustration" at the Rodriguez Acosta exhibition hall in Granada, an exhibition devoted to the work of Federico García Lorca, which in the following year will travel to the Institute of Spain in London, to various show-rooms in Germany, Belgium and Holland and, finally, to the National Museum of Santiago de Chile. Creates the series of steel rod sculptures "Threads" (though only one appears in Kuspit’s book pg. 233, pp. 233, it is a series of 8 pieces).
Solo exhibitions at various galleries throughout Spain, such as the Studium Gallery in Valladolid, the Atenas Gallery, Zaragoza, the Mouro Gallery, Santander, the Latina Gallery, Palma de Mallorca, the Chis Gallery, Murcia and the Macarrón Gallery in Madrid. Outside Spain, he exhibits at the Gesemnschellt Gallery, Hannover, the Numero Gallery in Venice, the Spanish Institute of Bordeaux and the Fiamma Vigo Gallery in Rome. His work is included in the exhibition "Spanish Art Today", which is opened at the Haus der Kunst, Munich, and will later travel to the Royal Museum of Contemporary Art in Brussels. Creates the series of steel sculptures "Wind", the group of oils on canvas "WN Series”, made from vertical compositions of geometric color blocks, and the "P Series". On November 10th, Rosmy, his fifth child, is born.
Holds solo exhibitions at Rayuela 19 Gallery, Madrid, the Caja Provincial de Ahorros de Pontevedra, the Municipal Museum Library in Benidorm, the Zem Gallery, Murcia, and again at the Studium Gallery in Valladolid. His work is included in the exhibition, "Vanguard Painting" at the Santander Art Museum. Participates in the First Biennale of Santander, the Municipal Museum of Santander and “Ingo-Art 75", which takes place in Rome and Venice. Creates the series of paintings "MC", in which he continues to show, through geometric compositions sometimes intercepted by lines or dots of color which contrast with the background, the aesthetic resources developed in the series "WN" and "P".
Holds a solo exhibition at the Brecht Gallery in London, entitled "Tribute to the poets Miguel Hernández, Antonio Machado and León Felipe”. He also exhibits individually at the B Gallery in San Sebastian, the Atenas Gallery, Zaragoza, the Mainel Gallery, Burgos, the Studium Gallery, Valladolid, and finally, under the title "Homage to Tiziano" at the Rayuela Gallery, Madrid . Participates in the First International Competition of Plastic Arts at the Lanzarote Museum, in the Canary Islands.
Holds solo exhibitions at the Rayuela Gallery, Madrid, the Zem Gallery, Molina de Segura, the Lucas Gallery, Gandia, and the Yerba Gallery of Murcia. His work is included in the exhibition "Contemporary Spanish Painting" at the House of the Americas, Spanish Embassy, Havana. Creates the series "Death Self Portrait", in which he photographically portrays his face in black and white, to later modify the photos with color paint. It is his first approach to the genre of photography, on which he will continue to work occasionally for the following years.
Exhibits at the Special Gallery in London, under the title "Seven years of sculpture from the Cube". Also exhibits "Tribute to Stonehenge" at the Studium Gallery of Valladolid, the Feria Gallery of Almeria and, finally, "The Matter" at the Rayuela Gallery. Participates in the III Pontevedra Art Biennale and the VI National Art Contest of Guadalajara. His work is included in the exhibition "Contemporary Spanish Painting," which takes place at the Calouste Gubelkian Foundation in Lisbon.
1979
Exhibits his projects for the Spitzberg Square at the Trondheim Gallery, Oslo, Norway, under the title "Over the Atmosphere". He also holds solo exhibitions at the Latina Gallery in Palma de Mallorca, the Maturana- Ituriza Gallery, Maturana, in Álava and the Vert Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. Creates the series "New York", a set of collages on wood in which, through a grid glued onto a painted surface, Gabarrón refers to Mondrian, giving a more chaotic – and more natural – view of the great American metropolis.
Creates, along with a group of architects and psychologists "Project for a city", in London, trying to define how an ideal city, where art coexists with urbanism, would be. Presents proposals for exterior facades, which will serve as the starting point for his later proposal “Colored Quarter” in Valladolid. Solo exhibitions at the Varrón Gallery of Salamanca, entitled "Tribute to Cortázar", and at the Rayuela Gallery in Madrid. In New York, participates in the "Fine Arts International Exhibition”. Creates the painting series "Anathema" and begins the series "Magicus Obwer," which lasts until 1989. He also produces "Puzzle", a series of collages on coated board, in which the artist cuts out and rebuilds a number of cardboard figures.
Exhibits photographs at the Dupond Gallery, Washington DC. In the same city, holds solo exhibitions at the Núñez Gallery and Art Museum. In Spain, exhibits at the Bertaut Gallery, Madrid, and the Múltiple Gallery in Marbella. He also holds solo exhibitions at the Brenans Gallery in Berlin and, under the title "Space and Cube", at Special Gallery, London. In China, he is awarded with the Taipei International Prize. Creates the series "Alter Magicus" and the small series of large paintings on coated paper entitled "Crucifixion", in which he portrays a series of dead bodies, hung with ropes and covered with wounds, which are painted in a brighter color palette than in the rest of the works of the period. Starts the series "Cell", in which he collects various manufactured or found objects, assembled as ready-made in compartmentalized boxes of wood or metal.
1986
Decides to move to New York. From this moment on, he lives between New York and Valladolid, where he spends long periods of time. Presents the sketch of the Olympic Mural for the Barcelona 92 Olympic Games at the School of la Asunción, Castilla y León Council, Valladolid. The work “Hope for Peace" is publicized by the World Federation of United Nations Associations to celebrate the International Year of Peace. The work is exhibited at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and later in Östnabrück (Germany) and Vienna. Participates in the Nardi Project, in Milan, and in the Second Biennale of Havana. His special connection with children and children rights, lead him to participate in the Save the Children workshops. Starts the oil paintings on wood "Hispalis", which will develop over the next two years. Creates the oil series "Zen Art", and the series "Byrsis", with strong material bias, painted on wood with pigmented cement. Begins the series of paintings and drawings "Africa", in which he recreates tribal, African-inspired, figures, and will end next year.
Undertakes the study project for the Seville Expo `92. Makes the International Poster "Human Rights", which is presented in Düsseldorf, Germany. In Taipei (China), participates in the exhibition "Project for Painting ". Receives the Miguel Delibes 87 Award in Valladolid. Creates the series "Africa" and "Osmosis". In the latter, figure has been losing ground to pure abstraction. Also begins the series "Pixamix", in which Gabarrón portrays a number of animals, perhaps birds, with large red teeth, and "Anatomies", in which he studies the human figure, American art critic Donald Kuspit will years later say that "the figures are both illusions without substance and sensual flesh”. Both series are completed next year.
Holds a solo exhibition at the opening of the Ynguanzo Financial Club in Madrid. In Madrid, participates in a group exhibition along with Chillida, Kienholz, Lam, Lindner, Miró, Soto, Riopelle, Equipo Crónica and Tápies. Creates the oil series “Luxux”.
Opens a traveling exhibition of his work organized by Caja de Ahorros de Salamanca, shown in Valladolid, Salamanca and Zamora. Participates in TRIACA 89 in Málaga, in BIAF 89 in Barcelona, and in a group show at the Fine Arts Circle in Madrid, "Selection 89" of Ruedo Ibérico 2000, along with Guillermo Pérez Villalta, among others. Creates most of the series "Magicus Obwer", which he started in 1984, a group of oils on canvas, of an earthlike appearance, in which containment of color is broken, in each work, by punctual red or yellow lines. He also starts the series "Adventure", a dizzying array of oil paintings on paper and canvas, in which Gabarrón studies movement through a quick and gestural brushwork. In this series he begins his period with sport as a subject. For example, the work that opens the series is inspired by the curved movement performed by shot-putters, and No. 99 of the series is entitled "Women's Athletics”. This year, Gabarrón also starts to create "Titans", a set of small sculptures, and will produce the series of material paintings “Drewing".
In April, he holds an important exhibition at the Palais de L'Europe in Strasbourg, France. In September, the Town Hall of L'Hospitalet presents thirty works from the series "Suite Adventure", corresponding to the sketches of the Olympic Mural “History of Olympics”. The exhibition is held at the special chamber of the Barcelona International Art Fair "BIAF 90". Invest 90, also shows forty sketches of the same mural in Zurich, Switzerland. The exhibition "The informality of Gabarrón” is opened at the Nuňez Gallery in Washington DC. Participates in the "International Biennale of Athletes in Art", held at the Sports Museum of Barcelona, and the " FUNDESCO Collection Collective Exhibition of Contemporary Art" at the Old Convent of the Carmelitas, in Cuenca. Exhibits the project "Park” and the mural project “The Era of Discovery" in Seville, and the mural project "Enclave 92" in Badajoz. Composes the oil on board series entitled "Flies", in which Gabarrón portrays this symbolic animal through black spots. He also produces the series "Europe", in which he returns to thematic motifs from previous series, such as the rows of red teeth in "Magicus Obwer" and in which there are a number of mythological animal figures, "Anathema", a set of oils on wood in which violence – of movement and gesture – is harshly portrayed, and "Design Ibérico", which is an aesthetic continuum of his previous series "Luxux”. Starts the famous series of sculptures "Twelve European Muses". It is a set of twelve pictorially tapped rusted steel sculptures, each of which, in the words of Mark van Proyen, is a "visual greeting to each of the twelve member states of the pan-European community, subtly evoking aspects of their national character and their traditional geography”. The sculptures, which are completed in 1991, will be installed in 1993 in the New Parliament of the European Community in Brussels. Similarly, he starts the sculpture series "Chicago", made of painted foam core, and the series of sculptures “101 Stone," created from painted eroded rocks.
The Olympic mural "History of Olympics" occupies much of Gabarrón’s agenda this year. In January he exhibits eighty works from the series "Adventure", at the Monastery of the Royal Hospital in Granada, in a show organized by the University of Granada and the Council of Andalucía. Also in January, he exhibits in Basel, at the Bodenschatz Gallery, where the Spanish Ambassador in Switzerland presents the final sketches on canvas of the series "Adventure", part of the Olympic Mural “History of Olympics". In February, he exhibits a full-scale sketch of the mural at ARCO 91, Madrid. In March, the same sketches of the mural are presented at the Tokyo Art Expo 91 by the Spanish Ambassador in Japan. Finally, on May 21st the Olympic mural "History of Olympics" is officially inaugurated at the Baseball Olympic Stadium of L'Hospitalet, second Headquarters for the Olympic Games of Barcelona 92. It is a mural of approx one hundred meters long and five meters high in which the artist narrates the development of sport throughout history by means of one hundred and fifty figures. Finally, in July the presentation of the work is finally celebrated at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the sketch of the mural is exhibited at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
On April 1st, HRH Princess Elena officially inaugurates the series of murals "Encounter 92", located in the Americas Square of the Seville EXPO, Island of la Cartuja. The entire mural is over 700 m2, and is divided into six spaces. The work symbolizes the harmony and solidarity among peoples, exemplified by the coexistence in the 15th C of Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities in Seville. In September, the Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation is created, founded with "the aim of protecting, preserving and disseminating culture through the arts, literature, science and research". Also among the objectives of the Foundation are the study, research and dissemination of the work of Cristóbal Gabarrón. The artist states that "the decision to create a foundation is to pay back to society what it has given me [...]. The commitment of our foundation is to spread and look deep into universal culture and promote exchange and respect between cultures. The Valladolid Foundation is devoted to the study of cultural events of all times, from prehistory to vanguard". Through an agreement with the City Hall, most of the original sketches of the mural Olympic “History of Olympics" are installed at the Palace of Can Boixeres in L'Hospitalet, Barcelona (Spain), creating the Gabarrón Museum (MUGA). The Carlos de Amberes Foundation is opened in Madrid with an exhibition of the sketches of the group of murals "Encounters 92"; it takes place between April and March. He is named "1992 Sports Artist" by the United States Sports Academy, Daphne, Alabama, which also names him, along with the State of Alabama, Doctor Honoris Causa, for his contribution to the development of universal art. He returns to the technique of combining photography and painting in the series "Continuous Nature”, on which he will work during this year and next. He creates the oil series "Dogon", and returns to the subject of New York City with the series of paintings "Manhattan", which finds through a dark palette amusement in the shapes of New York’s buildings and bridges.
The group of sculptures "Twelve European Muses" is opened at the New Parliament of the European Community in Brussels. In May, during the 14th Chicago International Art Exhibition he exhibits large format works from the series “Dogon”. At the same time, he holds a sculpture exhibition at the Donnelley International Hall of McCormick Place West, Chicago. He is entrusted by the United States Sports Academy with the creation of a work to celebrate the Centennial of Modern Olympic Games for the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, Georgia, in 1996. Starts the series "Skulls", on which he will work during this year and the next. It is a series of mixed technique small formats on rice paper, in which the artist explores the visual and symbolic potentialities of the human skull, which he portrays from multiple angles through thick lined stains. During these two years he also works on the series "Cosmos", oil on coated paper in which Gabarrón creates a whole set of images of astronomical inspiration, in which one can find stars, planets, constellations, spirals, created with a vivid color palette, very close in its approach to the drawings in the series "Encounters". He also starts the collage series "Feels", which he will develop over the next three years.
He is entrusted by the Executive Committee of the Universiade 1999, with the development of an artistic intervention on the boat "Universiade 1999". A month later, in July, HRH Princess Elena officially christens the sailboat "Universiade 99", image of the 1999 University Olympics. The artist creates a pictorial intervention full of colors and shades on the sails and hull of the yacht. He exhibits at the Bellver Castle, Palma de Mallorca. On the occasion of the exhibition, the catalog "Cita 99" is published by the University of the Balearic Islands, with texts by the writer Camilo Jose Cela Conde. In May, he officially presents the first sketch of the project "Atlanta Star - The Olympic Forest" at the headquarters of the Olympic Games in Atlanta 96. In Alabama, he presents the project and sketches for the work "Sports Today", a mural designed by the artist for the main building of the United States Sports Academy at the American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA). He receives the Importante 1993 Award from La Opinión newspaper of Murcia, in recognition of his entire career. Starts the series "Erotic", on which he will work for two years, a group of oils on coated board, explicitly erotic. Develops the series of paintings "Palma" and "Hawaii" and the set of drawings with "Ibeji" wax and colorful lines. Works on scale models and sketches to paint the fuselage of a number of commercial aircrafts, nevertheless, the project cannot be carried out due to the economic crisis. Gabarrón retains the preliminary work of this experience, similar to that of the sculptor Alexander Calder in the 1950’s.
Vigo’s Casa das Artes opens the retrospective exhibition "Versus 1985-1995", which includes a significant sample of the works the artist has produced during that decade. The exhibition takes place during the months of June and July. In the Gabarrón Foundation Open Air Museum in Valladolid, nine pieces of chromed steel which compose the sculpture "Medel” are exhibited from November to December. A detail of the pictorial intervention on the sailboat "Universiade 99" is chosen by the Executive Committee of the Games as their official image. The decision is made public at the presentation of the project for the monument "The Talayot" designed by the artist for the campus of the University of the Balearic Islands in Palma de Mallorca. The scale model of the "Atlanta Star - An Olympic Forest” is presented at Washington DC’s International Club.
On July 17th President Samaranch of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee, officially opens the exhibition "The Atlanta Star - An Olympic Forest” at the Olympic Ring in Atlanta city. The work consists of twenty painted triangular obelisks, which measure between four and eight meters each. Each of the pieces represents a city which has hosted the Modern Olympic Games and are set in a way that, when viewed from the sky, form a pentagram. The month before, the preparatory sketches of the work had been exhibited along with the twenty-six posters commemorating the Modern Olympic Games at the American Sports Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA) of Daphne, Alabama. The retrospective exhibition "Versus 1985-1995", consisting in over two hundred works produced during that decade, and which was seen last year at Vigo’s Casa das Artes, is now exhibited at Castilla y León’s Congress and Exhibition center in Salamanca during the months of March and April. The exhibition "101 Stones" is opened at the headquarters of the Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation in Valladolid. It consists of pictorially intervened stones by the artist. In November receives the 1996 Arts Award, awarded by the newspaper El Norte de Castilla. Later, receives the prize "Piňon de Oro”, given to the artist by the House of Valladolid in Madrid, “in recognition of his efforts in the protection of his homeland and the defense of its history, culture and customs. " On this year he begins the series of paintings "Kruise" and the series of sculptures "Fetish", in which he returns to the idea of the boxes with intervened and found objects, developed in the period 1985 -1990 in the series "Cells".
On May 22nd inaugurates the mural "A tribute to the Spirit of Sport", in the northwestern facade of the American Sports Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA) in Daphne, Alabama. On June 13th, the City Hall of Valladolid officially opens the public monument "The door of Valladolid", at the southern entrance of the city. This work is made of two ten feet high columns, which represent the past and future of Valladolid city. The group of sculptures "Atlanta Star - An Olymic Forest" begins its traveling exhibition which leads it to Santa Catalina Park in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in March, while the sketches and preparatory work to be done in the Miller Building are presented in the same city. In August, the group of sculptures travels to the town of Los Llanos de Ariadne on the island of Palma, while the sketches are displayed in the House Massieu Van Dalle. In October, the pieces are exhibited in Madrid, the sculptures in the Conde Duque Cultural Center and the sketches on the Juan Gris Showroom, along with larger scale works. Finally, in December, the group of sculptures is installed in Salamanca. The exhibition "Cristóbal Gabarrrón: Artistic processes and Sport" takes place at the Tecla Sala Art Center, L'Hospitalet, Barcelona. Participates in the Second Mediterranean Meetings Biennale in Dubrovnik (Croatia), where he receives the Painting Award from Croatia's Minister of Culture and Director of Dubrovnik’s Museum of Modern Art. Creates the sculpture series "Memories" and begins the series "Habitat", on which he works for two years and in which he returns to pictorial intervention on photography.
He starts two of his most important public works. First, he begins the project "The Color Quarter", by which he presents a series of artistic interventions on the facades of the Spanish Quarter in the city of Valladolid.
On November 12th, the United Nations announce the selection of the work "Dawn in the New Millennium" to represent and spread the celebration of the Millennium Assembly, which congregated in September of that same year the heads of state from around the world at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to discuss the challenges that humanity will face in the new millennium. For this reason, the work is Gabarrón reaches the cover of the United Nations Chronicle. This year two important exhibitions of his work take place. The first one is opened in February at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Under the title "Olympic Dreams", the exhibition takes a retrospective tour of his sport-themed works, including the sculpture "Atlanta Star - An Olympic Forest", which is installed outside the museum. In May, the Carriage House in New York hosts a show of his recent mural work "The Legend of the Celts". On the occasion of this exhibition, the book "A Retrospective" is published, which captures the past thirty years of his work. Creates and installs the mural "Handrail for the Pisuerga" in the northern wall of Valladolid’s Moreras Beach, it is made of ceramics and 12m2 in size. The Council of Valladolid entrusts him with the creation of a work for the Provincial Wine Museum, located in the town of Peñafiel, in the province of Valladolid. He also participates with the Proyecto Hombre Foundation in the annual Meeting Against Drugs by creating the poster for the event. Takes part in a group exhibition with other European artists at the Petit Palais in Montreaux, Switzerland, where he exhibits part of the series "Millennium". Paints the oil painting series on large format canvas “Veritas”, and the works "Spirituality," "Anatomy Lesson" and "X-rays. This year, he also creates the painting series "Spiritual Feelings”.
Creates his famous work "The Millennium Chapel”, which is inaugurated in September. The project starts with the restoration of the Chapel of the Salinas de Medina del Campo Spa where he undertakes a monumental intervention on an 490m2 area where he works with murals, sculptures and stained glass. The work is divided into two parts. The left side of the chapel symbolizes the desire for the future expressed at the Millennium Summit of the UN, and the right side portrays all the harms that have struck humanity in the past. Produces the art projects for the Villa de las Ferias Park in Medina del Campo in the province of Valladolid. It consists in an important aesthetic planning of a popular playground, through the construction of components such as pergolas, fountains, street lamps, benches, murals and sculptures that serve as street furniture. Presents the scale model of the sculpture designed for the square of the Utah Athletic Foundation of Salt Lake City on the occasion of the Winter Olympics 2002. This is a monumental fourteen feet high iron work. The lawyer and patron Theodore W. Kheel, who in the future will be the President of the Gabarron Foundation in New York, entrusts Professor Robert Morgan, from the Rochester Institute of Technology's, with the first collection of the artist's work in the United States, to be presented at the American Sports Museum (ASAMA) in Daphne, Alabama. At the Reina Sofia National Center for the Arts, the exhibition of the work of Christo and Jeanne Claude, Denis Oppenheim, Valdes and Gabarrón takes place, organized by Robert C. Morgan and with an introduction from the museum director, Juan Manuel Bonet. The exhibition "Carlos Qvintus” is opened at the Congress and Exhibition Center of Castilla y León. It is a series of works which originate by the artist’s interest on this historical figure. Collaborates with the University of South Alabama, where he teaches a course of six lectures on the differences in European and American contemporary art. Is named "2001 Distinguished Guest Scholar” by the University of Utah, Salt Lake Community College and Idaho State University College of Education, where he will hold a workshop and a series of lectures on the influence of the Olympics in contemporary art. Awarded the 2000 Castilla y León Prize for the Arts 2000, in recognition of his entire career. Starts the series of copper sculptures "Cuppers".
Creates his famous work "The Millennium Chapel”, which is inaugurated in September. The project starts with the restoration of the Chapel of the Salinas de Medina del Campo Spa where he undertakes a monumental intervention on an 490m2 area where he works with murals, sculptures and stained glass. The work is divided into two parts. The left side of the chapel symbolizes the desire for the future expressed at the Millennium Summit of the UN, and the right side portrays all the harms that have struck humanity in the past.
Produces the art projects for the Villa de las Ferias Park in Medina del Campo in the province of Valladolid. It consists in an important aesthetic planning of a popular playground, through the construction of components such as pergolas, fountains, street lamps, benches, murals and sculptures that serve as street furniture.
On May 31st, the North American headquarters of the Cristóbal Gabarrón are founded. They are a 1902 building constructed by architect Ralph S. Townsend and located in the Murray Hill neighborhood in downtown Manhattan. In the words of the artist, the Foundation’s U.S. headquarters "fulfill the goal of being the entry door and the link between Europe and America, dedicating efforts to spread and promote the arts and emerging artists”.
His work "The Spirit of the Olympics”, officially presented at the Metropolitan Pavilion Fine Art Forum in New York, is selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee as their representative picture of the 2004 Athens Games. Appointed honorable citizen of the town of Mula, where he was born. In the same town, a park with his name is opened, where one of his sculptures is installed. In early February, stages the performance "Desire - Phoenix" at the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao, where the public is driven on a Ferrari F40 to later explain their experiences. Makes the series of large format paintings 'Cores', one of the most informal in his career, where handwritten words appear promptly. He also produces the series of steel sculptures "Visions" and "Air". This year, the oil tanker Prestige sinks off the Galician coast, causing one of the major environmental disasters in the history of Galicia. Influenced by this event, the artist produces the series "A Costa da Morte", in which a menacing black color invades blue and green compositions. The second edition of the Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation International Awards takes place, with the following prizewinners: Peter Eisenman (Visual Arts), Cristobal Halffter (Performing Arts), Henry de Lumley (Science and research), Zinedine Zidane (Sport), Guillermo Cabrera Infante (Arts), Jean Dausset (Thought and Humanities), Gianluigi Colalucci (Restoration and Conservation) and Belisario Betancur (Human Career).
The project conceived by the artist and promoted by the United Nations is officially launched with the aim of enlightening the environment from the FDR to the United Nations Plaza at the United Nations headquarters on 49th Street Entrusted by the Castilla y León with nine graphic works representing each of the nine provinces of the region. Receives the 2004 Laurel Cultural Award, awarded at the XXXVI Laureles Foundation Annual Murcia Awards, granted by the Press Association of Murcia. The book "Whispers in the Silence" by Michel Ashberry is published, collecting much of the creation until the time of the artist. Creates the sculpture series "Hybrid" and "Friezes" and the painting series "Constitution". Produces the series of forty large-format abstract paintings "Thermal Murcia”, which are included in a book with texts written by Antonio Martínez Cerezo and published by Pictografía Ediciones. In the Third Edition of the Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation International Awards, the winners are Anthony Caro (Art), Amos Gitai (Performing Arts), Margarita Salas (Science and research), Miguel Indurain (Sport), Francisco Ayala (Arts), Somaly Mam (Thought and Humanities), Miguel Angel Corzo (Restoration and Conservation) and Father Jaime Garralda (Human Career).
On April 25th the Mula Casa Pintada Foundation and Cristóbal Gabarrón Interpretation of Contemporary Culture Mueum-Center are founded, with the presence of the Princes of Asturias. It is a mansion located in the medieval Jewish quarter and built in the late 1770s by Don Diego Maria Blaya and Molina, it stands out for its facades with white motifs on red background, and was restored by the architect José María Hervás to host the Foundation. The Casa Pintada Foundation, on the other hand, is the largest collection of works by the artist, with more than a hundred works belonging to all periods. On September 30th the exhibition "Body image in art of Christopher Gabarrón" is opened at the Chelsea Art Museum in New York. The exhibition, curated by Donald Kuspit, and for which a catalog with important texts by Kuspit and Barbara Rose, Mark van Proyas, Consuelo Císcar and Peter Frank is published. It remains open until 14 January 2006. He inaugurates the exhibition "Homage to Don Quixote", consisting in the installation of eleven sculptures depicting characters from the work of Cervantes in different parts of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, such as the United Nations Plaza, the Cervantes Institute, the Bellevue Hospital or Chelsea Art Museum. He is entrusted with the creation of the poster for the Burial of the Sardine festival in Murcia, by the Sardine Association of Murcia. He débuts in theater by creating the scenery of the play "The Jealous Extremeño" for the Spanish Ballet of Murcia. Participates in the collective show "XX Years of Castilla y León Awards" at the Monastery of Nuestra Señora del Prado in Valladolid, organized by the Council of Castilla y León. Produces the sculpture series "Three heads and a broken heart in blue", which include with curved lines and forms through both the shapes and the pictorial interventions. Creates the monumental sculpture "Kronos", which is exhibited in Salamanca on the occasion of the celebration of the European capital status of the city. The fourth edition of the Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation International Awards takes place, with the following awards: Richard Serra (Visual Arts), The Seminci (Performing Arts), Valentin Fuster (Science and research), Juanito Oiarzabal (Sport), José Manuel Caballero Bonald (Literature), Raúl Rivero (Thought and Humanities), Pinin Brambilla (Restoration and Conservation), Eduardo García de Enterría (Human Career), and in the category of Economics, awarded for the first time, Enrique Fuentes Quintana.
Course given at the Faculty of Altea of Fine Arts of the Miguel Hernández University in Elche on landscape and abstraction in the work of Cristóbal Gabarrón: it is organized by the Chair of Methodology of Art History and Sculpture and directed by Emilio Roselló. On March 27th, the Valencian Institute of Modern Art (IVAM) hosts the exhibition "Body image in the art of Cristóbal Gabarrón" from the Chelsea Art Museum. The exhibition is open until late May. On the 29th, 30th and 31st of March the First International Conference devoted to the figure of Cristóbal Gabarrón is held at the University of Murcia, with the aim of deepening into the aspects that mark his work. Designs a fountain for a roundabout in the outskirts of Madrid with a an 18 tonne steel sculpture of the series “Air” that is placed in a 58 meter diameter area on a layer of water and a system of sequential lights in different colors. He starts the installation in May. On May 2nd, he is appointed Fellow of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Santa Maria de Arrixaca, where he pronounces the speech "The Urban Sculpture. Concern and respect for the environment". During this year he shapes the sculpture series “The Silences of Columbus”, which is a tribute to the fifth anniversary of the death of Christopher Columbus, it is shown in several Spanish capitals such as Valencia, Valladolid, Santiago de Compostela and Madrid. In the latter, it was located in the central Paseo del Prado, between Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia museums and its opening and exhibition were considered a first-class cultural event, which was later continued in New York, international cultural capital, where the ten monumental creations were placed in famous enclaves of Manhattan sucha as Columbus Circle, Dante Park, El Museo del Barrio, Central Park South or Mitchel Square among others. Creates for the Emina Winery of Ribera del Duero, the bronze sculpture "Oinoz" based on wine culture and aesthetics of light, soft shapes and contrasts. Between July and September the exhibition "Intimate Gabarrón" is held at the Fine Arts Circle in Madrid, under the curatorship of Barañano Kosmos, who in October of this same year moved the exhibition to two leading exhibition rooms in the city of Murcia, Palacio Almudí and Sala el Martillo, under the name "Gabarrón. Intimate. Sense of Landscape” illustrating the stages of his work related to the urban concept. The set of public sculpture "Homage to Don Quixote" is inaugurated at the renovated Palace of Alicante, and is held between July and September in the gardens of the Palace. Between the 10th and the 14th of July he participates as a guest artist in summer courses at the Complutense University, at the workshop of interpretation of public art, which is developed in Manzanares el Real. His strong international character allows him to participate in the great exhibition of contemporary art in Poland, "Nowi Dawni Mistrzowie / New Old Masters”, curated by Donald Kuspit. Also, later in the year, the exhibition "Cristóbal Gabarrón, Paintings & Sculptures" takes place at the Guy Pieters Gallery in Saint Paul de Vence (France). Creates two sculptures in honor of the Valladolid businessman Marcos Fernandez which are located in the Madrid headquarters of the Parquesol Group. As a result of his relationship with the city of Murcia, he inaugurates in December the monumental sculpture “Frouida”, nymph of fountains and streams, which in homage to water, stands on a green plain, as if the fountain placed beneath it provided it with movement and life. The work "Murcia Three Cultures" is presented to the media and chosen as the poster to advertise the cultural festival which bears the same name. Entrusted by the financial entity Caja Duero with the sculpture "The Colossus", syntheses of the entity’s125th anniversary, it guards its headquarters in Salamanca
Cristóbal Gabarrón delivers HRH Juan Carlos I of the first numbered replica of the sculpture "The Colossus", a work created by Cristóbal Gabarrón to honor the 125th anniversary of the institution Caja Duero. The awards “Murcianos del Mundo” hand a sculpture of the artist as their prize, who in turn participates as a jury in choosing the winners. The project "Sincronías" produced by the creator in collaboration with Casa Pintada Foundation and the Government of Murcia, receives the Special Award in the II Mediterranean Landscape contest. The Cultural Center of the Council of Orense holds an exhibition of the artists work under the title "Color and Form", between the months of February and March. A wide sample of his painting and sculpture come together, enabling viewers to understand the importance of formal stroke and lively colors in his work. The set public art sculptures "The Silences of Columbus" is exhibited at the Castle of Santa Bárbara in Alicante until the month of May, later traveling to Lorca where it participates in the cultural project Espirelia.
On January 24th, he presents the premier of his book "Urban Landscapes" at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, the ceremony was hosted by the mayor of the city and the sculptures "Tribute to Don Quixote" were placed in the Botanical Garden. In April visits the Villa de las Ferias Park of Medina del Campo to check the progress of the work and consider his mural intervention. On April 19th, attends the Film Week in Medina del Campo, Valladolid. On May 6th, begins the great mural of over 200m2 which completes the second phase of the project for the Villa de las Ferias Park of Medina del Campo. The large mural reflects in "an intimate environment" the particular vision of the creator on Medina. On May 16th presents the exhibition "Cristóbal Gabarrón. Towards Poetics on Humanism” at FNAC in New Condomina, Murcia. It is the result of the Conferences that the University of Murcia gave on the artist in 2007. Produces in his Valladolid workshop a series of clay sculptures which revolve around life and death, where the symbiosis of materials is the main feature. On June 26th the IVAM presents at the Estoril Casino, under the curatorship of Margarida Prieto, the public art show "The Silences of Columbus". The gardens of the Casino host the exhibition consisting of ten monumental sculptures. In September participates with several works in the memorial exhibition "Zen" at the El Jardin Gallery in Molina de Segura. On September 10th he inaugurates, along with the city mayor, "The Silences of Columbus" in Seville, which will be held for two months in the Plaza Nueva of Seville. In October visits Seville and the mural he developed for the Expo 1992. From the 7th to the 22nd of October he participates in the collective exhibition named "Hiding Emotions. Spanish Contemporany Art” organized at Al Nakheel Hall Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi. On October 22nd opens an exhibition participated by the Casa Pintada Foundation in Benalmadena Exhibition Center. Over thirty of his works are exhibited for 21 days in December. On November 14th the public art exhibition "The Silences of Columbus" was shown to the public on the streets of Jerez de la Frontera. The Larga and Lancería streets of the city host ten fiberglass sculptures in honor of the famous sailor.
From January 21st until March 8th, 2009, the Gabarron Foundation presents the exhibition: “I Have a Dream”, in collaboration with the city of Stiges, to render homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 80th Anniversary of his birth, through the arts.
Presents the Permanent Sculpture Installation Mullae in Mula, Murcia (Spain)
Exhibits at Mal Maison gallery in Cannes.
Exhibits Mysteries of Columbus at the Niemeyer Center, Aviles (Spain)
Hasselt, Belgium exhibition. The 10 sculptures, made of polychromic fiber, of Cristobal represent an illusion of mystery surrounding the historical figure of Cristopher Columbus: the explorer of the New World. Gabarron’s Roots. Washington, DC. January, 2012. The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center announce the exhibition, curated by Jack Rasmussen, Gabarron’s Roots, that includes a careful selection of work by the artist completed during the first decade of this century (2001-2010). Alhambra Towers, Ciudad de Las Artes y las Ciencias, Valencia. This new exhibition rests on the vast jewel, the Alhambra, and it pays its greatest tribute by recreating it with 21st century eyes. It is the aesthetics of Cristóbal Gabarrón, that of the reunion of shapes, colors and cultures; the aesthetics of life.
The Cartagena Regional Modern Art Museum (MURAM) and Cartagena Roman Theatre Museum present the exhibition “Material Contrast”. The group of paintings and sculptures laid out in the different rooms illustrate Cristóbal Gabarrón’s constant experimenting with materials and forms.
Cristobal Gabarron assists in Amsterdam, the inauguration of the exhibition, “The Mysteries of Columbus”, in the setting of ARTZUID 2013, Amsterdam.
The Koubek Center of Miami Dade College (Florida) presents the painting and sculpture exhibition Encounter of Two Hemispheres.
The exhibition Mysteries of Columbus and Kronos opens at the 3rd Shanghai Jing’an International Sculpture Project (JISP), China, presented by Purple Roof Art Gallery.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon (China) presents ten large-scale polychrome sculptures in the exhibition of the Alhambra Towers.
The China Art Museum of Shanghai presents the exhibition The Mysteries of Columbus. From January 16, 2015 to July 16, 2015.
The artist Cristobal Gabarron will make the poster of the fifty-fifth edition of the Cante de las Minas International Festival, that will take place in La Union-Murcia, Spain between the 5th and the 15th of August 2015.