Abstract Defiance: Fernando Zóbel and the Rise of Spanish Abstract Art in Francoist Spain by Natalia C. Siy
- Natalia C. Siy
- Nov 27, 2025
- 1 min read
Spanish-Filipino painter and collector Fernando Zobel played a vital role in the propagation and preservation of abstract art in Francoist Spain and the Philippines, and the institutionalisation of the same. Zobel stood at the intersection of history and modern art by offering fresh perspectives not only through his own art but also through his advocacy, support, and endeavours in cultural preservation. This paper examines his life and legacy through a close reading of Zobel’s art and its cultural context- most notably the founding of the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca and the Ateneo Art Gallery in Manila. Using a qualitative, interpretive approach, this study interprets how Zobel’s art and legacy constituted a quiet yet potent form of aesthetic dissent against the rigid, state-sanctioned realism of Francoist Spain and its dominant influence on Spanish modern art at the time. Shaped by his transnational identity and informed by contemporary socio-political context, Zobel’s abstraction offered an alternative vision of cultural preservation and artistic freedom by bridging continents, methods, and ideologies.
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