Pepe Dámaso

Pepe Dámaso was born on a Saturday in Agaete, Gran Canaria, on 9 December 1933. As an only child he was cherished by his parents, who instilled in him the principles of courage, loyalty and gratitude for life.

His childhood and adolescence were spent between the natural beauty of the lush landscapes of the north of Gran Canaria, with its valleys full of palm trees, dragon trees and spurge plants, and the majestic Atlantic with its endless range of blue sea hues.

In this large retrospective exhibition of 70 years of Dámaso’s work, we aim to showcase the artistic journey of an exceptional artist, a man totally committed to his environment and, above all, a confirmed worshipper of the aesthetic in all its manifestations.

Dámaso began to paint with his first art teacher, painter Manuel García Panadero, who moved to Agaete drawn by the fabulous landscapes of its restless natural environment.

From an early age, Dámaso became aware of his artistic vocation and knew he wanted to be a painter. Armed with this firm conviction and the determination he has always been known for, Dámaso took charge of his life and work.

He produced his first drawings in 1948 and later became familiar with the work of the great Juan Ismael, in the Wiott Gallery, where he discovered the exciting world of art in another dimension: the surreal. Realising that artistic expression is a path with no end, Dámaso went on to enjoy a prolific artistic career that continues today with the same enthusiasm.

Damaso’s work is characterised by a subjective reaction to his heartfelt passion for the Canary Islands, the relationships that govern his everyday life, and the philosophical and intellectual thinking essential to his modus vivendi.

The aesthetic experience arises from his very existence, ensuring artistic creation in the depths of his ceaseless activity.

In this retrospective exhibition, we have chosen some 200 pieces representative of Damaso’s work (from more than 6,000) and montages specially designed for installation in the spaces of the CAAM.

The artist’s enormous generosity is well known, particularly after his announcement in 2015 that he wished to leave his entire artistic legacy to the people of the Canary Islands. We are honoured to be his heirs. This exhibition is intended to help make Dámaso’s immense and varied legacy better known as we open the doors of the CAAM so that everyone can admire and dwell on the beauty of a personal, atypical, aesthetically fundamental work in the history of universal art.

Dámaso will delight us with his paintings of Nature, his Deaths, his Atlantic Heroes, Juanita, La Rama, his Poets… 

IMAGE GALLERIES

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