Mari Puri Herrero

Mari Puri Herrero is a Spanish artist (Bilbao, Spain, 1942) whose career has developed mainly across painting, drawing, and printmaking. She trained in San Sebastián, Madrid, and Amsterdam, and completed part of her artistic experience in Paris before returning to Bilbao and consolidating her career.

Her work is situated within the field of figuration and combines recognizable scenes with imaginary, symbolic, and narrative elements. Her works often include characters, landscapes, interiors, and references to nature and Basque popular culture. Her graphic practice includes techniques such as etching, linocut, and woodcut. In 1978, she created Marijaia, the figure that became the symbol of Bilbao’s Aste Nagusia.

Her work is part of collections such as the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum and the Museum of Art and History of Durango, institutions that have also presented her work. In 2012, she received the Sabino Arana Award and, in 2022, the Gure Artea Award from the Basque Government.