Description
Antonio Montiel has kindly donated this wonderful portrait of the Christ of Mercy of Cártama to our charity auction.
Thank you Antonio for your art and solidarity!
Charcoal on paper.
Antonio Montiel was born in Antequera (Málaga) on the 30th August, 1964.
From a very early age, the inclination he feels for drawing and painting convinces him that he was born for artistic creation, and above all to investigate the analysis of human faces.
It is the Malaga actress Pepa Flores (Marisol), who constantly inspires him, almost like an “Obsession Muse”, in the early years of his childhood and adolescence.
He entered the “Antonio Cañete” School of Applied Arts and Artistic Crafts in Málaga at the age of ten and was encouraged to take part in the first children’s and young people’s painting competitions organised by Educación y Descanso at that time, always winning the first prize.
The first exhibitions (at the age of fourteen and fifteen) are proof of the beginnings of the artist, who began to develop a meteoric career and which even led him to try his hand at teaching, for children and adults alike.
After completing his military service (where he managed to get acquainted with high officials of the Army who commissioned numerous portraits from him, including that of H.M. King Juan Carlos I) and after winning the poster competition of the 1985 Málaga fair, at the end of 1986, he moved to the Spanish capital.
In Madrid, Antonio Montiel was commissioned by the “Hidalgos a Fuero de España” Association, which expressed the wish that he should produce the complete collection of all its presidents, who belonged to the Spanish aristocracy.
Shortly afterwards, it is the popular magazine “Lecturas”, which decides to serve as a showcase for his work, with a series called “Las Mujeres ¨10¨ españolas en tres dimensiones” (portraits of the most famous women from all walks of life). This series would later become the “Women of Spain” exhibition, touring the main Spanish capitals and provinces under the patronage of the reputable cosmetics firm Margaret Astor.
In 1992, he was chosen to represent Spain at the Art Festival of the Americas, held at the headquarters of the O.E.A. (Organization of American States) in Washington, where he rubbed shoulders with distinguished personalities from the world of European and American culture. Politicians and ambassadors praised his work, including the First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Barbara Bush.
But this would not be the first and last time that Antonio Montiel would visit the Americas, since during 1994 and 1995, Mexico would monopolise a large part of the time of the Málaga-born painter, who found his second home in the Aztec country. Personalities such as the wife of the president of the government, Mr. Salinas de Gortari, posed for Montiel, and were fully satisfied.
Galavisión and so many other media made known the visit of our young artist, being sponsored by Raúl Velasco, very popular journalist of the Hispanic American television, in his mythical program Always in Sunday.
In October 1995, the Nova art gallery in Málaga presented its first retrospective, the expectation that it aroused was indescribable.
Her Majesty Queen Sofía received him in a private audience in the first spring of 1997, congratulating him on the extraordinary portrait he painted of her, which, according to the sovereign, is among his favourites.
He also travelled to Cuba to portray Commander Fidel Castro, commissioned by the multinational Inter-Public, with whom he collaborated for two years in the monthly magazine “Andalusia in the World” with a series called “My Most Beloved Portraits”.
He has been awarded numerous prizes and tributes and has been interviewed by the most important Spanish radio and television journalists, as well as countless publications in the international press.
His sacred work has been published for two consecutive years in the Diario Málaga – Costa del Sol and he has collaborated as a temporary illustrator in different national newspapers.
For Canal Málaga TV he produced, directed and presented a weekly programme entitled “Las Mujeres de Montiel” with the collaboration of his great friend and businesswoman Mariví Dominguin, who has sadly passed away.
The journalists Julián Lago and Maira Gómez Kemp also requested him as a collaborator in the TV programme “7 de Corazones” for Canal 7 TV and the accredited European dictionary “Quién es quién” deals with his biography among its pages.
At the beginning of September 1998, the Association of Andalusian Dressmakers and Couturiers paid tribute to him for his “elegance and great professional career” in the Cervantes Theatre in Malaga, where, years earlier, he had given the opening speech for the 1991 Carnival together with the model Remedios Cervantes.
In 1999, he received the distinction of “Malagueño of the Year” from the Málaga Association of Writers as a “Friend of Málaga”. In August, same year, he was elected “Flag bearer of the Málaga Fair” and inaugurated an anthological exhibition in Torremolinos Town Hall.
During the course of the year 2000 he received a great dinner-homage in the Sala Gabana in Madrid, offered by famous colleagues from the world of culture, entertainment and the Spanish press. He is also requested by the Town Hall of Rincón de la Victoria (Málaga) to celebrate his “Anthology” in the Castle of Bezmiliana during the summer season and is named “Fallero de Honor- Avda. de Francia” in the popular Fallas of Valencia.
On the 28th of February 2001, he made a successful announcement of the “Day of Andalusia” in the Martín Carpena Sports Centre in Málaga in front of 8,000 people and was awarded the “Golden Shield” by the Málaga Federation of Peñas for his proven “Malagaism”. This same proclamation would be made again years later in the Modern Theatre of El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona).
He designed the poster for the International Retro Dance Competition in Torremolinos and was invited to be a member of the jury at the competition held in Paris.
In March 2002 he held his first “Sacred Art” exhibition organised by the “Cajamar” bank in Malaga.
The town of Villanueva de la Concepción, his mother’s birthplace, where Antonio feels very close, has awarded him the title of “Illustrious Son” and the House of Culture and the avenue where it is located bear his name “Antonio Montiel”.
During 2003, the Mayor of Malaga commissioned him to design the poster for the fair in the capital of the Costa del Sol and the Ministry of Health chose him to create the portrait of the Minister of Health, Mrs. Celia Villalobos, which was highly praised in its presentation.
Also, this same year, he portrays the Duchess of Alba to illustrate the Poster for the XXVI Exaltation of the Mantilla, as he would do in 1997 with his muse Pepa Flores (Marisol) or with the TV presenter Terelu Campos in 2015. In 2008, Marisol is the subject of an exhibition entitled “Homage to a Muse, Pepa Flores in the work of Antonio Montiel” at the Sala Fénix in Malaga.
Special mention should be made of the painter’s trip to Buckingham Palace in London to present the Queen of England with the splendid portrait he created of her on the occasion of the “Golden Jubilee”, an oil painting showing a very human and smiling Elizabeth II, which the sovereign herself has described as “a delight” ( October, 2003).
In November 2003, he received one of the greatest acknowledgements in Malaga granted by the Cultural Association “Malaga XXI Century”. The “Malagueño del Siglo XXI” award has already been won by, among others, the actors Antonio Banderas and Marisol, the president of Unicaja Braulio Medel and the footballer Fernando Hierro. In December his portrait of the poet Federico García Lorca will be presented to the Interactive Museum of Music in Malaga (MIMMA)
At the beginning of 2004, the Antequera Town Hall distinguished him with “El Efebo”, a recognition that he was given together with other illustrious colleagues on the Day of Andalusia and also for Antequera, this same year he painted the poster of the Proclamation of the Christ of Health and Water, as the new Patron of this magnificent city.
During the Malaga Fair, by popular vote, through PTV Television, the most popular character is chosen with the distinction “Premio Farola 2004″” and at the end of this same year, in the Sala Keeper in Madrid, he is offered a new tribute to which a large audience attends, with the outstanding presence of important personalities.
For the UNED of Madrid he paints the portrait of the rector Mr. Jenaro Costas and the rector Mrs. Araceli Maciá.
On 6th May 2005 he received the award “With an Andalusian Accent” from the Mayor of Alhaurín de la Torre and which is awarded every year by the Cultural Association “Raices y Horizonte” of this town in Malaga, where this same year he also painted the poster announcing his Holy Week.
In August 2005 he presented the poster of the Antequera Fair where the bullfighter Curro Romero and his wife Carmen Tello posed for him. He also made a proclamation that was recorded in some media as “historic”.
In 2006 he was asked by the Association of Malaga Brotherhoods to paint the poster for Easter. A resounding success in his presentation, where a large number of confraternities and admirers gathered, never seen before in this event.
The Casa de Andalucía in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) awards him the “Seneca 2006” prize and he travels to London where he paints several portraits of English aristocrats.
In May 2007 the Federación Malagueña de Peñas awarded Antonio Montiel the recognition of “Malagueño de Pura Cepa” for his accredited artistic career on a national and international level, for his proven Malagueña style and for his constant support to this group.
In 2008 he was invited to form part of the Foundation of the Board of Trustees of the Commemorative Acts of the 50th Anniversary of the Royal and Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Lady of Rocio of Madrid. The Infanta Elena de Borbón is the president of honour and Montiel is commissioned to design the poster with the image of La Blanca Paloma, which was a great success. This year, she also made the poster and the opening speech of the popular Hermandad del Cautivo in the Real Teatro María Cristina in Malaga.
On the 20th of August of the same year he receives a tribute in the Real de la Feria de Málaga organised by the Peña Bética “La Farola”.
In November 2009 he presented the full-length portrait of the Princess of Thrace at the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville.
In 2010 he is chosen by the Royal Fused Brotherhoods of Malaga to make the poster announcing the 75th anniversary of the first procession of the Christ of the Souls and the Blind, discovering this work together with the Baroness Thyssen and the Mayor of Malaga. Also in his home town of Antequera he pronounced the “Exaltación Cofrade al VI Centenario” in the Torcal Theatre at the beginning of the year, which was a great success.
The newspaper “Sol de Antequera”, dean of the Malaga press, awards him the “Campanillero de lujo 2010” prize.
On the 2nd of April 2011, it will be the opportunity to carry out the famous Malaga celebration “Un clavel para el Rocío” and in July of this year it will also carry out the poster for the 25th Anniversary of the Pilgrimage of the Virgen de la Alegría and the commemorative poster for the Centenary of the Pollinica Brotherhood.
In 2012 he receives the “Ellegance” award at La Posada de las Ánimas in Madrid, together with personalities such as Mayra Gómez Kemp, Andy and Lucas, David de María and Josema Yuste.
In July of the same year, he received the “Andalusian First” award together with Estrella Morente among others…. organised by the great Peña de la Paz in the Hotel Málaga Palacio.
2013 brings with it two new awards in its homeland, “Premio Zegri a la Cultura” in the Alameda theatre in Malaga and “Con Cariño” organised by A.A.V. Parque Sur.
In February he participated with a special collaboration in the film “Las hijas de Danao” by the filmmaker Fran Kapilla, playing the role of a conductor in the Paris Opera.
The Zamarrilla brotherhood presents their poster, which is a new and great success and the “Colectivo Moraga” invites him to give a talk in the Alhaurín de la Torre prison.
During these last years he has been collaborating with entities such as CUDECA and the Foundation for the study of viral hepatitis.
At Easter 2014 the magazine “Pasión de Sevilla” of the newspaper ABC dedicates ample space to him and reproduces a full-page drawing of the Virgen de la Macarena made by the artist. In May he presents the poster for the 25th anniversary of the Brotherhood of El Rocío “La Caleta” in Malaga.
It is worth mentioning the 2014 Exhibition “Sacred Art and Portraits” which is once again being held at the Bezmiliana Castle in the Malaga town of Rincón de la Victoria, during the summer months. The exhibition is the most visited until then. Also at the end of August, on his birthday, his friends organise a big party for him in the Convent of La Magdalena in Antequera, where numerous personalities from the world of politics and entertainment come to see him and where he receives the “City of Antequera” award. It is also here that the mayor of the town of Almogía (his father’s place of origin) announces that he has been awarded a street named “Pintor Antonio Montiel”.
Before the end of the year, the artist presents the poster of his fair in Villamartín (Cádiz) on 5th September with a beautiful image of the Patron Saint, the Virgen de las Montañas, and in December the book “Evocaciones y recuerdos” by Professor M. Jesus Perez Ortiz is published, with a prologue by Carlos Herrera, in which he participates with illustrations in homage to the legendary actress and singer Juanita Reina.
In June 2015 he was asked to participate in a publicity spot with the slogan “We are Malaga” together with illustrious Malaga people such as Antonio Banderas or Pablo Alborán among others. The spot is presented during the tourism fair in the Callao cinema in Madrid the following year.
The Mayor of Estepona invites you to make the opening speech for the July festivities, which was a great success. After a plenary session of the Town Hall, it was decided to give you a passage in the heart of the city with your name on it, which was inaugurated on the 15th of July 2016.
In August 2015 he was invited again to pronounce the “40th Anniversary of the Night of Wine”, this time in the town of Competa, Malaga, and on September 16 he received the title of “Favourite Son”, which he was awarded.
On 20 November of this year he was awarded the “Golden Button” Prize, which is awarded annually by the Guild of Dressmakers and Couturiers of Seville, for his entire professional career as a plastic artist. In December he presents the poster for the farewell to the stages of the singer Betty Missiego.
In 2016, Antonio Montiel receives the offer to form part of the jury of the “Army Awards” which are announced every year by the Ministry of Defence and on 19th June he is named “Honorary Advisor” of the Spanish Association of Image Professionals in the Palace Hotel in Madrid. At the end of this month he travels to Barcelona to portray the president of the TGT group and its founder, in a posthumous tribute,
On 19th July in the Mirror Room of Malaga Town Hall, the poster for the XL Anniversary of the Amigos de la Espiga, a cultural association that each year distinguishes a Malaga character, including Antonio Montiel, since 2015. On this occasion the painter pays tribute to the late Amparo Muñoz (Miss Universe 1974 and Malaga actress). Also this year Montiel presents in Malaga the posters of the Virgen de la Cabeza (Standard) and the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of scuba divers and holds the XXX Proclamation of the Virgen de la Alegría.
On 4th August 2016 he is named Godfather of Honour of the Malaga Association “Nothing is impossible” .
In November he is invited to the Independent Republic of San Marino to a great ceremony of the Knights and Ladies of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem . The host was the Grand Master, Prince Thornbjorn Paterno Castello D’Aragon.
In January 2017, Montiel went to the Palacio de la Zarzuela in Madrid to be received by His Majesty King Felipe VI, who posed for the portrait that the painter would paint of him and which would be destined for the General Staff of the Army. In February he presented a pastel work by Ntro. Padre Jesús El Rico, which served to illustrate the poster for the processional departure of this great Malaga Brotherhood.
On 23rd May of the same year he is called upon to present the Benefit Gala of the International Association Telefonica de la Esperanza in the Cervantes Theatre in Malaga, with the capacity of the event being filled to capacity. In June, the Malaga Association of Writers awarded him once again, in its 24th edition, as “Painter of the Year”.
And more awards are coming this year. On 25th June the Association of Spanish Humorism “ASHUMES” recognized him in the delivery of its V Edition, along with other personalities like Paloma Gómez Borrero, Irma Soriano, Emma Ozores or Juan Muñoz (of the duo Cruz y Raya), in the Hotel Meliá Castilla in Madrid.
On the 22nd of July he presented the poster for the LV Anniversary of the Image of the Patron Saint, the Virgen de la Cruz, in the town of Benalmádena in Malaga and on the 2nd of August he travelled to Zaragoza, invited by the Villafeliche Town Hall, to be the town’s town crier and receive the “Trevillano” Award from the President of the Government of Aragon and the Mayor of this beautiful municipality.
On 12th August of the same year, he received the first “Golden Basket” from the popular Malaga company La Canasta, for his artistic career and outstanding Malaga style.
On 30th November the book “Antonio Montiel, the painter of the soul” by the professor and philologist María Jesús Pérez Ortíz, was presented. It is published by Arguval, with a prologue by the actor Antonio Banderas and presented by the mayors of Malaga and Antequera, in a packed hall of the Real Club Mediterráneo in Malaga.
On the 1st December, a record-breaking retrospective exhibition of his work was opened in the Exhibition Hall of the Antequera Town Hall during the month it was on display. After the opening ceremony, a plaque was unveiled that gave the Exhibition Hall its new name, “Antonio Montiel”.
On 4th December he received the Torrijos Prize as “Best Painter of the Year” from the Torrijos 1831 Historical and Cultural Association of Malaga.
Already in 2018, to be precise on the 2nd of February, he presented the poster for Holy Week in Antequera with great success, paying homage to the Christ of the Greatest Pain, in his transfer by the body of the Legion.
For the beautiful town of Alora in Malaga, he made the poster of the Brotherhood of the Virgen de los Dolores Coronada, on February 24th of the same year and on March 11th, he performed in the Buero Vallejo Theatre in Alcorcón to offer the XIX Proclamation of Holy Week, of this town in Madrid.
On 22nd March he is awarded the Cofrade Prize for Art in the XII Edition of the “Premios Cofrades Ciudad de Marbella” together with personalities such as Luis del Olmo, the musician Paco Cepero or Rocío Jurado (posthumously) among others… in the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Marbella.
On 22nd May the annual Charity Gala of the Malaga International Association Telefonica de la Esperanza will be held once again at the Cervantes Theatre with a special performance by the comedian Moncho Borrajo.
On 28th June he presents the poster for the Solemnity of Our Lady of Carmen 2018 in Fuengirola and on 29th June he is awarded a prize at the Centenary Gala of the “Sol de Antequera” newspaper together with figures such as bullfighters, Curro Romero and Javier Conde or the painter Cristobal Toral, among others.
On Saturday 21st July he is named “Adopted Son” of Almogía (his father’s home town), after a conference given at the Hermandad de Jesús Nazareno in this town in Malaga.
On 30 August, his birthday, a new issue of the cultural magazine “La Garbía” is presented in Marbella with an extensive report by the painter who is also on the cover.
On 9th September he presented the poster of the Patron Saint of Nerja, the Virgen de la Angustias in the El Mercado Hall in Nerja (Malaga).
On 23rd November he receives an award at the 16th Gala of the Malaga Autism Association, which for the first time recognises people, companies or organisations that are distinguished by their support for autism in the province of Malaga.
On 10th December the Historical Interpretation Centre dedicated to the figure of General Torrijos is inaugurated in the capital of the Costa del Sol. Antonio Montiel donated to this entity the painting “Execution of the heroine Mariana Pineda” painted in 1985.
In January 2019 the Malaga Foundation asked him to collaborate in the “Siempre Fuerte” Awards dedicated to the memory of the late Pablo Ráez, creating a portrait of him and which was presented with great success during the gala held in the Picasso Museum in Malaga.
On the 6th of March he presented the poster announcing the Holy Week in the city of Marbella, being very praised his portrait of the venerated Jesus Nazareno of this beautiful town.
On the 13th of March he presented his portrait of Mrs. Adelaida de la Calle to the rectors’ gallery of the University of Malaga.
On 23rd March he once again produced the poster for the Brotherhood of Sorrows and Solitude of Alora.
On 25th March it presented the image of the Christ of the Expiration of Malaga for the poster of its processional departure for Easter 2019. During the presentation by the General of the Civil Guard, H.E. Mr. Vicente Pérez, the Mayor of Malaga announced to the numerous people present the approval of a street in Malaga with the name of Antonio Montiel.
