Jose Maria de Aurora

Abstract Relief Painting in Vibrant White by José María de Aurora Contemporary

2025

José María de Aurora is a painter whose practice explores the importance of matter and the physical act of painting, profoundly influenced by the purity of line and movement. His work investigates volume, colour, and serene compositions, creating a distinctive visual language in which materiality and gesture become vehicles for visual poetry. Having nurtured a deep connection to art from an early age, José María de Aurora has worked across various disciplines, including painting, sculpture, engraving, and dressmaking. His artistic journey reached an early milestone when he presented his first painting at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, winning a regional competition. He later pursued formal studies at the School of Arts and Techniques of Fashion at Ramon Llull University. Widely known as the founder and creative director of the distinguished Spanish couture label Ze García, José María de Aurora has developed a parallel and increasingly prominent pictorial practice. Working from his studio in Aiguablava on the Costa Brava, he approaches painting as both a physical and contemplative process. His works explore the relationships between colour, matter, gesture, volume, and memory, bringing together architectural precision, minimalist sensibility, and an intensely tactile understanding of the painted surface. His recent exhibitions and art fair presentations include Colorphilia at Garna Gallery, Madrid (2023); Estampa Art Fair, Madrid (2023); From Surface to Space at Sorondo Projects, Barcelona (2024); De Éter a Tierra at Secret Mill Gallery, Empordà (2024); The Space in Color with Sorondo Projects; and By Invitation Art Fair, Barcelona. In 2026, Escat Gallery presented SOLAZ — The Language of Colour, a solo exhibition dedicated to José María de Aurora’s pictorial practice. The exhibition explored the artist’s distinctive approach to colour, matter, gesture, and memory, revealing painting not simply as image, but as a physical presence built through layers, displacement, and material transformation.