The artistic community of Galicia, alongside the broader international stage, is mourning the passing of the distinguished avant-garde artist, José Freixanes. He passed away on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, in Madrid, at the age of 72. Born in Pontevedra in 1953, Freixanes stood as a cornerstone of Galician plastic avant-garde and played a pivotal role in the region's artistic revitalization beginning in the 1980s. His extensive and deeply personal body of work masterfully blended abstraction with figurative painting, weaving together historical memory and impressions gathered from his extensive travels.
Freixanes, who spent his formative years in Pontevedra, pursued a creative path marked by intense intellectual inquiry and an unyielding quest for innovation. His professional journey began with studies at the Higher Schools of Fine Arts in Bilbao and Madrid, ultimately leading him to settle permanently in the Spanish capital by the late 1980s. He was also connected to the literary world through his brother, Víctor F. Freixanes, a writer and publisher who formerly served as the President of the Royal Galician Academy. Early in the 1980s, José Freixanes became an active participant in the 'Grupo Atlántica.' This collective injected new vitality and international visibility into the Galician art scene early in the decade, championing a distinct vision open to global artistic currents. This movement, active roughly between 1980 and 1983, proved to be a watershed moment for Galician art, propelling many of its members, including Freixanes, onto the national cultural map.
Over nearly five decades, the painter cultivated a singular artistic language that incorporated elements of primitivism, memory, history, and the experiences gleaned from his extensive wanderings. His time spent in Morocco, and particularly in India—the country of origin for his children—profoundly shaped his creative universe, forging a deep connection between the West and the East. This cultural synergy was vividly showcased in his final Galician exhibition, titled 'Fíos' (Threads), which was presented in 2023 at Galería Trinta in Santiago de Compostela. For this show, he integrated artisanal techniques, consistently asserting his belief that art and craft hold equal importance.
José Freixanes's artistic output is featured in numerous prestigious national and international collections. These holdings include the Center for Galician Contemporary Art (CGAC), Afundación, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, as well as corporate collections such as JPMorgan Chase Bank and UBS. The artist also organized solo exhibitions in galleries located in Paris and Vienna, successfully showcasing his work beyond Spain's borders. His institutional contributions extended to teaching at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Granada and serving on the visual arts commission of the Consello da Cultura Galega, where he was instrumental in the establishment of the CGAC.
Freixanes’s fascination with the ephemeral found expression in significant installations, such as 'Cartografía do tempo' (Cartography of Time), displayed within the San Domingos de Bonaval church, and '72 silencios' (72 Silences) at the 30th Pontevedra Biennial. Other notable temporary works were exhibited internationally in Casablanca (Morocco), Damascus (Syria), and Rabat. His installation in Casablanca, 'Al final del amanecer' (At the End of Dawn), took the form of a multicolored mural constructed from the clothing of immigrants, clearly demonstrating his commitment to social commentary. Spanning nearly fifty years, Freixanes's creative legacy firmly establishes him as one of the most distinctive and original artists of his generation, one who transformed the canvas into an emotional space dedicated to memory and cross-cultural dialogue.
