Cristóbal Gabarrón

Today, painter and sculptor Cristóbal Gabarrón is considered one of the most interesting and representative Spanish creators of recent artistic generations. For his artistic achievements, the American Sports Art Museum and Archives honored Gabarrón as its Sport Artist of the Year 1992.

Born in Mula, Murcia in 1945, he began his artistic profession in 1964 when he began composing figurative works influenced by nature and the rural setting of Castile. From these natural pieces, Gabarrón quickly moved towards the abstract. From those early days when he was just being discovered to today, he has carried out more than a hundred expositions, both personal and collective, participated in the most prestigious biennials, has been awarded numerous prizes throughout the world and has more than 30 books published about his work.

Gabarrón has always remained diversified in his work. He has created murals, monuments and sculptures across five continents. In the last 10 years, he has provided significant works for various events of universal nature such as the Official Commemorative Stamp of the International Year of Peace for the World Federation of United Nations, the Olympic Movement History Mural that is erected in the Olympic Baseball Stadium commemorating the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona and "An Olympic Forest" commemorating the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta.

In 1992, Gabarrón produced one of his largest murals (roughly 100,000 square feet) for the Seville Expo '92 celebrating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. The work was structured in six great pieces which could stand alone artistically, but together conveyed a unique message of integration, harmony and solidarity among the three cultures that existed in Seville during the 15th century — Jews, Christians and Muslims.

In 1993, The Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation was created in Valladolid, Spain. The purpose of the private, non-profit organization is to protect, conserve and spread culture through the arts and research.

Gabarrón has always been an integral part of ASAMA and the United States Sports Academy. His mural entitled, "A Tribute to the Human Spirit" is seen by thousands each year. The mural is on the face of the Academy's main campus building and was done by Gabarron for the Academy's 25th anniversary. The mural is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. On July 10, 1992, the Academy presented the artist with an honorary doctorate.

View the Gabarrón collection, "100 Years of Modern Olympics."