1918-1994    

By means of what the French call a "joke" and true Castilians a "pronto", Javier Clavo tried to describe himself briefly...... It was enough to demonstrate something fundamental. In view of the fact that he is an original, a well-established feature of the Spanish artistic landscape, to emphasise what we already know would be to run the risk of lapsing into clichés and drawing up a list and a chronology of works which have diversified into many and varied fields, and would be a futile, muddled and lengthy undertaking. So, as far as is possible, let's rise above platitudes and make the most of our skills as presenters - both in the The exhibition comprises a small sample of the prolific output of works by Javier catalogue and in the exhibition hall - to tell you about the contents of this exhibition.

Clavo, who for some time has devoted a large part of his daily work to watercolours The large variety of authentic themes and styles cannot but attract our attention. The fact is that, while the fundamental characteristics of this artist are his genius and aptitude, they are always controlled by a disturbing and relentless exactitude from himself.

Clavo is always on the lookout. His clear gaze focuses intently on objects. He searches, asks questions, and noses about....he tries to get to the very heart of things. This perhaps explains - and to tell the truth, we hope it does - why his incursion into the world of the "vague", his flight into the realm of shadows, his meandering into the "obscure", and his halting exploration of the " confined universe" of mankind subject to forces and constraints incompatible with the human condition come as no surprise to us.

And what can we say about the generous, quiet and serene Clavo, about the young boyhood artist, painter of portraits "from life" and dearly beloved creatures, and about Clavo, the depicter of nudes and urban landscapes, ... ?

All that there remains for us to mention are the many magnificent drawings of bullfighting scenes. Beautiful, skilful, alive and energetic. Through them, Clavo immerses himself in the spectacle. He enjoys that "state of grace" which actors call a "disposition". Is it because Clavo wanted to be a bullfighter ?