Alvar Sunol Munoz-Ramos

Still Life with Watermelon

ca. 1970

Alvar Suñol Alvar Suñol Munoz-Ramos, commonly known as Alvar, was born in 1935 in Montgat, Spain, a Catalan fishing village on the Mediterranean coast near Barcelona. By the age of 17, he was accepted into the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de San Jorge in Barcelona. In 1960, he moved to Paris and exhibited with other major Spanish artists including Picasso, Miró, and Dalí. Today, Alvar is recognized on an international platform for his exploration of the psychological and historical complexities of art-making and creation in relation to one’s environment and experiences. The examination of both interiors and exterior spaces place a significant role in all of Alvar’s works. Alvar strengthens his artistic vision through the use of various mediums including oil paintings, lithographs, watercolors, drawings, bronzes, and ceramic bas relief sculptures. His works can be found in the permanent collection of over fourteen museums worldwide and he has several public commissions around the world, including his most recent bronze sculpture created in honor of Catalan cellist Pablo Casals that is located in Paris, France. Additionally, Alvar has had three consecutive retrospectives since 2014. His first was hosted at Las Casa de Cultura (The Cultural Center) of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. One year later, Alvar had a second retrospective at the Castell de Benedormiens, in Castell d'Aro, Girona, Spain. Most recently, the Castell de Calonge in Girona, Spain recognized Alvar’s lengthy career from 1954 to 2016 with a retrospective titled, Una Vida Pintant (A Life of Painting). Retrospectives 2016 Una Vida Pintant, 1954-2016, Castell de Calonge, Girona, Spain 2015 Passat i Present,1954-2015, Castell de Benedormiens, Girona, Spain Interiors, Museu de la Mediterrània, Torroella de Montgrí 2014 Alvar Suñol: Una antològica des del 1954-2014, Casa de Cultura de la Diputació de Girona, Girona Spain Museum Shows 2009 Persistències: Exposicio de Dibuixos, Museo de Dibujo Julio Gabin, Castillo de Larrés, Huesca, Spain 2008 Inauguració de l’Escultura, “A Pau Casals” al carrer Pau Casals, Boulogne-Villencourt, Paris, France 2007 Alvar Suñol: Retrospectiva 1954-2008, Museu de Badalona, Barcelona, Spain The Georgia Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA Alvar: Contemporary Renaissance, A Retrospective, Albany Museum of Art, Albany, GA Alvar Suñol: A Retrospective, Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, FL 2003 Realizació de l’escultura “Mediterrània” situada a la Plaça de les Mallorquines, Montgat, Montgat, Spain 2001 Alvar: Huellas en el tiempo, A Retrospective, Instituto Cervantes, Toulouse & Bordeaux, France Lithographs by Alvar, Retrospective, Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, GA 2000 Alvar: Empremptes en el temps, Abadia de Sant Miquel del Fai, Barcelona, Spain 1999 Heullas en el Timpo, Retrospective, Sala Moneo, Ayuntamiento de Logroño Heullas en el Timpo, Retrospective, Centro Cultural Ibercaja, Guadalajara 1997 Empremptes en el temps, Retrospective, Castell de Benedormiens, Castell d’Aro, Girona, Spain 1983 Wichita Museum of Art, Wichita, Kansas 1982 Utah Museum of Fine Art, Salt Lake City 1978 Musée Hyacinthe Rigaud, Perpinyà