Alvar Suñol Munoz-Ramos was born on January 29, 1935, in Montgat,
a Catalan fishing village on the Mediterranean coast near Barcelona. He
started painting oils at age twelve and at age seventeen was accepted at
the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de San Jorge, the prestigious fine art
school in Barcelona.
Due to his early artistic successes, Alvar received many invitations for
shows in other Spanish cities. During his military service, he submitted
one of his canvases for the Institut Francais annual painting
competition in Barcelona. The Institut Francais awarded him the grand
prize and a scholarship to study in Paris.
In 1960 Alvar returned to Barcelona to marry his childhood sweetheart,
Rosella Berenguer. They returned to Paris and lived there for ten years.
Alvar’s paintings were exhibited in the United States for the first time at
the Monede Gallery, New York in 1962. Alvar produced his first original
lithographs for a one-man show at Galerie Drouant in 1963.
In 1993 a book devoted to the artist’s paintings was published in Spain
and the United States. In 2001, Alvar: Thirty Years of Lithography, a
book chronicling the lithographic creations of Alvar was published. In
2005, Alvar in Color and Poetry, a book by Dr. Betty Jean Craig, Marjorie
Agosin, and Alvar was published.
In 2006 a DVD titled “Alvar Suñol,: His Vision and His Art” was produced
and written by Dr. Betty Jean Craige and Alan Stecker. The DVD has been
awarded first place at the Indie Gathering film festival for independent
filmmakers. The 42-minute documentary was honored in the short
documentary category. In June 2007, it aired on public television in
Georgia; further states are scheduled.
Alvar continues to create art in the mediums of oil, lithography,
watercolor, bronze, ceramic bas-relief and precious metal sculpture.
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