BIOGRAphy
José Vázquez Cereijo (Lugo, 1940–2016) was a multifaceted artist whose life and creative trajectory established him as an essential figure in Galician and Spanish culture in the 20th and early 21st century. Born at the emblematic number 16 of Plaza Mayor in Lugo—the same house where his uncle, the poet Luis Pimentel had lived—.
Education and youth: between Lugo, Santiago and Madrid
His artistic education began at an early age. At just ten years old, he started studying painting at the Círculo de las Artes in Lugo under the direction of Ricardo Camiño. During his adolescence, he collaborated with Ánxel Fole (Ánxel Johán) in creating stage designs, while also pursuing classical dance with Pilar Tabernero. In this vibrant youthful period, he frequented the literary gatherings at the Hotel Méndez Núñez, exchanging ideas with figures such as Manuel María, Uxío Novoneyra, Celestino Fernández de la Vega, and other distinguished visitors.
After a brief period studying Medicine in Santiago de Compostela in 1958, Cereijo moved to Madrid in 1959. The 1960s became a decade of academic and creative expansion: he studied Architecture and Film, joined a musical group, and received the National University Prize for Essay Writing for his study on Padre Feijoo. He also worked as a technical drawing teacher at the Official School of Technical Architects in Madrid, while gaining recognition as a poster designer and illustrator.
Cereijo’s artistic maturity was shaped by pivotal encounters. His daily attendance at the literary gathering led by Celso Emilio Ferreiro fully integrated him into Madrid’s cultural scene. In the early 1970s, he began holding solo exhibitions in prestigious galleries such as Cultart, Toisón, and Kreisler.
A crucial milestone in his career was his immersion in the world of the Generation of ’27. Through visits to Gregorio Prieto’s studio and his close relationship with the painter Maruja Mallo, Cereijo connected with the artistic elite of the time. Much of Mallo’s graphic work emerged from their collaboration, notably the portfolio of lithographs Homenaje a la Revista de Occidente, introduced by Soledad Ortega Spotorno.
The ABRA Group, Galería Mínima, and International Success
In 1978, he founded the ABRA Group alongside artists such as José Luis de Dios, Luis Eduardo Aute, and Domingo Sarrey, participating in international art fairs including ARCO. In 1980, he held his first major institutional exhibition at the Centro Cultural de la Villa de Madrid, consolidating his status with the publication of his dialogued biography Vázquez Cereijo: La pintura como confesión, written by José Castro Arines.
His role as a gallerist materialized in Galería Mínima, located in Madrid’s Plaza de las Salesas, where he exhibited works by Picasso, Miró, Manolo Viola, and Gregorio Prieto. During the 1980s and 1990s, his production became remarkably prolific, taking his work to museums and exhibition spaces in the Netherlands, Belgium, New York, China, and Latin America.
Master of Graphic Art and the “Prague Suite”
Graphic art was, in Cereijo’s own words, one of his greatest passions. His mastery of etching, lithography, and linocut culminated in 1994 with the exhibition and book Praga, edited by Andrés Trapiello and featuring poems by Juan Manuel Bonet. The work gained such recognition that in 2001, then Prince Felipe presented the suite of sixteen linocuts to Czech President Václav Havel.
His technical excellence was recognized with the National Prize for Graphic Art from the Museo del Grabado Español Contemporáneo in Marbella in 1998, following an earlier honorable mention at the National Chalcography of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid.
In the new millennium, his work took on a lyrical direction inspired by the Gaelic world and the Hebrides Islands, influenced by his relationship with the poet Hamish Henderson and his wife, Anne Nikitik. In his later years, he devoted himself with equal passion to painting and literature, publishing four poetry collections between 2008 and 2014: Sombras de lúa azul, Desde o Catavento, Pingas de Orballo, and Daguerrotipos.
In 2013, José Vázquez Cereijo ended his Madrid period and returned permanently to his home in Plaza Mayor in Lugo. There, he continued working tirelessly until his death on August 16, 2016, leaving behind an artistic legacy that bridges Galician tradition and universal avant-garde.
