José María Yturralde

José María Yturralde was born in 1942 in Cuenca, Spain. He studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos in Valencia, where he later became a professor and a central figure in the city’s experimental art scene. In the mid-1960s, Yturralde co-founded the Seminario de Generación Automática de Formas Plásticas (SEM Group) alongside Eusebio Sempere, marking a key moment in the early history of algorithmic and computer-generated art in Spain. His involvement with the Centro de Cálculo at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in the late 1960s and early 1970s further solidified his commitment to merging art with technology and scientific methods.

Yturralde’s artistic practice spans painting, sculpture, and digital media, characterized by a precise geometric language infused with spiritual and philosophical inquiry. He seeks to move beyond the flat surface of the picture plane by incorporating time and space as active elements in his work. For Yturralde, space is a charged field of energy, perception, and transformation. His Ensō series draws on Zen Buddhist ideas, where circular forms evoke spiritual liberation, continuity, and the cosmic cycles of existence. In his Entanglements series, inspired by quantum physics, he explores themes of nonlocality and interconnectedness through minimal, luminous forms that suggest invisible natural forces. His doctoral research on the aesthetics of hyperspace reflects this deep engagement with dimensions beyond ordinary perception. Abstraction, for Yturralde, is not just a style but a way to access the sublime, with geometry serving as both a structural and emotional language that carries vast metaphysical ideas. His compositions combine clarity with openness, inviting quiet contemplation.

Over the course of his career, Yturralde has played a significant role in shaping Spanish abstract and technological art. His early geometric experiments connected him with international movements such as Op Art and New Tendencies, situating him within a broader global conversation on perceptual art. His work has been exhibited extensively across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including prestigious institutions like Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, IVAM in Valencia, CAAC in Seville, Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca, Ludwig Forum in Aachen, Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, and Neue Galerie in Graz. He represented Spain at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017 and received the National Award for Plastic Arts from the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 2020. Yturralde’s work is held in major collections including the Juan March Foundation, the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation, and the National Library of Spain.