Esteban Vicente: A Trailblazer

Esteban Vicente, No. 3, 1959, oil on canvas, 177.8 x 200 cm - Museo Nacional Centro de Arte, Reina Sofia - Madrid, Spain (click photo for larger image)Although Abstract Expressionism is a very broad term referring to numerous styles and approaches, all of its practitioners were committed to art as expressions of the self, born out of profound emotion and universal themes. They were most heavily influenced by Surrealism, which adapted to the anxiety and trauma of the post-war era. In their success, these New York painters robbed Paris of its mantle as leader of modern art, and set the stage for America's dominance of the international art world.

Most of the artists associated with Abstract Expressionism matured in the 1930s. They were influenced by the era's far leftist politics, and came to value an art grounded in personal experience. Few would maintain their earlier radical political views, but many continued to adopt the posture of outspoken avant-garde artists and supporters.

Spanish-born Esteban Vicente (1903-2001) was a first-generation member of the avant-garde New York school of painting, which flourished from the 1940s to the ’80s.

In 1929, after training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, Vicente moved to Paris, where he met Pablo Picasso. Vicente divided his time between Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona until 1936, when he relocated to New York City. During the 1940s Vicente began to create abstract paintings. He contributed to the highly publicized “Talent 1950” exhibition at the Kootz Gallery, which showcased paintings by New York school artists. He shared a studio with fellow Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning for a time. (See more about de Kooning and Abstract Expressionism here on What About Art?) 

From 1964 until the mid-1980s, Vicente taught art at a number of universities, including Black Mountain (N.C.) College, NYU, and Yale. In 1998 the Spanish government opened the Esteban Vicente Contemporary Art Museum in Segovia.