Written by Stephanie Mutsaerts
Photos by Jesus Caso and Stephanie Mutsaerts
Carlos Ciriza is one of the most renowned artists of Navarre, Spain. His large-scale sculptures and art creations are exhibited around the world. His installations and works are integrated into architectural, urban and natural environments and reflect his ever-present motif of volume, movement and circulation of spaces and voids.
Since his first public exhibition in 1984, his work has been exhibited in many galleries and institutions around the world. His sculptures and paintings are displayed in museums, parks, and public and private collections in countries of the world including Andorra, Armenia, Argentina, Austria, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela and U.S.A.
Carlos was born in 1964 in the town of Estella, Navarra in northern Spain. Carlos began his artistic career in painting before exploring sculpture, working with wood, stone, industrial metals, and alabaster. From there he turned his attention to wrought iron and cast iron, which became his preferred materials as he sought inspiration through the forms, textures, volume, gravity, and balance these materials provided.
Carlos was inspired by artists such as Richard Serra, Julio González, Chirino, Henry Moore, and, most notably, two artists from Northern Spain Eduardo Chillida and Jorge Oteiza. This prolific artist always has several ambitious projects under way – commissions for both public spaces and for the private sector. His installations and works are integrated into architectural, urban, and natural environments.
Navarra Television broadcasts the documentary “Carlos Ciriza” this Saturday, April 25, from 9:00 p.m., and on Sunday, April 26, from 4:00 p.m., The documentary profiles the work of this prolific artist from Pamplona, Spain, his phenomenal versatility and mastery of many techniques.
As recounted in the documentary, Carlos Ciriza is an artist who specializes in large-format installations – sculptures for public and private spaces. His works are an integral part of parks, squares, roundabouts, or even locations along highways. The documentary, which was produced by Miguel Tabar and Patxi Tiberio, provides testimonies from people like María Concepción García Gainza the award winner of the Príncipa de Viana de la Cultura Prize, José María Muruzábal del Solar, a Doctor in History, or Mercedes Jover, the Director of the Museum of Navarra, who are familiar with Ciriza’s work
Become acquainted with Carlos Ciriza’s works in person. He always has ambitious projects underway – commissions for both public spaces and for the private sector. Join us in his private workshop, an art lover’s paradise, tucked away in the heart of the city of Pamplona. This will be a visit to remember as Carlos Ciriza takes us into his private ‘museum’ his grandioso mundo of enormous paintings hung on vast walls, and canvases displayed in the majestic corridors. Here you can also see some of his small format sculptures in their final stages of completion as well as giant sculptures. You can also visit the firing room and his painting studio where his masterpieces take shape.
Feel free to visit the Carlos Ciriza website. If you would like to meet him in person or to become acquainted with his works of art, or to commission pieces for commercial or private spaces feel free to contact us at Northern Spain Travel.
Learn more about this charismatic world renowned local artist and meet him in person by the hand of Northern Spain Travel
Important Sculptural Works in Spain, Europe and the United States
In 1992 Carlos Ciriza traveled to New York, where he made a series of paintings and works for which he achieved great acclaim and critical success. These works consist of schematic impressions of the city. Later, this set of works is exhibited in different locations in Spain and France.
In 1993, he received the Silver Medal of the international competition “L’Ecologia, Ambiente e Natura” from Salerno (Italy).
In 1996, he was appointed member of the Navarre Council for Culture (body to the Department of Education and Culture of the Government of Navarra). He chaired the Commission for Artistic and Cultural Activities from 1999.
In 1999, he was invited to represent Spain in the “XII International Painting Weeks Slovenia 99”, where he spent 40 days with an important group of European artists: Ashot Bayandour, Mario Benedetti, Gustav Gnamus, Matjaz Gruden, Andrej Jemec, Tommy Lydon, Valentin Oman, Rudi Benétik, Hamlet Housepyan, Anna Löbner, Richard Nott, Jann Räisäen and Sasä Kladnik.
In 2000, the Godoy publishing house made a panoramic and biographical book on Carlos Ciriza, his facets as a painter and sculptor. The book is 548 pages and includes 586 color illustrations., and is translated into English, French, German and Spanish. The texts are by Francisco Javier Zubiaur Carreño (director of the Museum of Navarra), Rosa Martínez de Lahidalga (president of the Association of Art Critics of Spain and International), José M. Muruzabal del Solar (researcher and art critic) and J Ignacio Urricelqui Pacho (art historian, University of Navarra), many of the autors are interviewed in the documentary on Carlos Ciriza presented April 26 2020.
In 2002, he was won the Third Navarra Prize for Sculpture. At the same time he mounted a large exhibition of 103 large-format and monumental sculptures in parks and other public spaces in Bordeaux (France).
In July 2002, he received the Prix d’Excellence at the Foire Exposition in Montargis (France).
In 2003, he exhibited 38 large-format sculpture for 6 months in the Yamaguchi Park in Pamplona.
Bridge of Europe
In May 2003, the Academic Society of Arts, Sciences and Letters of Paris awarded him the Vermeil Diploma and Medal 2003, in recognition of his artistic and professional career.
Milky Way – Parallel Roads
In 2005, he placed the second sculpture in the monumental sculpture called “Los Símbols del Camino”(the symbols of the Camino (de Santiago) otherwise knowns as the “Milky Way-Parallel Paths” in the Tunnels of Perdón (Navarra). This same year another monumental work “Leku-Berria”, was installed at the main roundabout in the village Lekunberri (Navarra).
In 2006 one of his creations was selected by Merrill Lynch to be installed in the 9/11 memorial sites of Ground Zero in Manhattan This was rhe first significant recognition of his works in the United States. In the same year his monumental work “Red de Caminos” was installed at kilometer 67 of the Autovía del Camino, as part of a project featuring sculptural symbols along the “Camino de Santiago”.
In 2007 he installed three large sculptures in the United States, one in San Francisco and two in Beverly Hills.
