Poetic painting from José Lucas

The late José Lucas, one of Spain’s great postmodernist painters who passed away in 2023, is being celebrated from Friday, March 28, 2025, with a special exhibition at the Museo del Grabado Español Contemporáneo in Marbella. 

As part of the annual Marpoética festival, the event opens at 7pm and showcases a curated selection of Lucas’s works inspired by his deep connection to poetry and his friendships with prominent Spanish poets.

Lucas was inspired by universal poetry throughout his lifetime, and this passion reflected the close ties he had with Spanish poets. This exhibition pays tribute by featuring works that reflect his artistic reverence and poetic influences. Lucas is known for his inimitable expressive style and bold use of color, which he perfected during studies in Murcia and Madrid. He also won numerous awards, including the Grand National Painting Prize at Salamanca in 1976 and the National Painting Prize at Cartagena in 1975.

Marbella’s event is a rare opportunity to see how poetry has influenced Lucas’s visual style, and how his oil on canvas mastery has been infused with emotional depth. Open to the public free of charge, the exhibition runs simultaneously with the Marpoética poetry festival.

A powerful exhibition combining paint with poetry will honour a painter that is as relevant as ever. The Museo del Grabado Español Contemporáneo is in Calle Hospital Bazán, Marbella.