Martín Chirino

Martín Chirino was a Spanish sculptor (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, 1925–Madrid, Spain, 2019), recognized for his work with iron and for his contribution to Spanish abstract sculpture. He trained at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in Madrid and at the School of Fine Arts in London, and in 1957 he was a co-founder of the El Paso group.

His work is known for the use of forged iron and for the recurring presence of the spiral and the wind, motifs linked to his relationship with the Atlantic landscape and his Canary Islands roots. Through these forms, Chirino developed a sculpture of great formal synthesis, focused on material, movement, and the tension of space.

His work is part of collections such as the Museo Reina Sofía, MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and Fundación de Arte y Pensamiento Martín Chirino. He presented exhibitions in institutions such as MoMA, Museo Reina Sofía, Círculo de Bellas Artes, CAAM, and Fundación de Arte y Pensamiento Martín Chirino. His awards include the International Sculpture Prize at the Budapest Biennial in 1978, the National Prize for Visual Arts in 1980, the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 1985, the Canary Islands Visual Arts Prize in 1986, and the Medal of Honour of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in 1999.