Charris

Ángel Mateo Charris known as Charris (born 1962 in Cartagena, Murcia) is a Spanish painter. His work is included in the figurative line that has been called "neometaphysical" to which other artists of his generation belong such as Gonzalo Sicre, Joel Mestre, Dis Berlin and others.

Brochure presenting Bambara Cartagena Gallery

Charris was born in Cartagena on May 10, 1962 and graduated from the San Carlos Fine Arts College (Valencia) in 1985. During the 80s he participated in various collective exhibitions. In 1988 he first travels to New York, getting in contact with the paintings of Edward Hopper and the artists of the Hudson River School. In 1989 he was awarded the Young Photographers National Competition from the Spanish Youth Institute.

In 1997, with Gonzalo Sicre, he edited the book "In the Footsteps of Hopper". In 1999, the IVAM dedicates a major exhibition to him in its Centro del Carmen.

Charris style is heavily influenced by comics, pop art, comic visual language, noir cinema, and certain classical authors, among them and especially, Edward Hopper. In his works, it is also very common the reference to art history, as well as certain literary links. His works are also characterized by constant references to the History of Art and approaches to postmodernism. Among his references can be mentioned Spilliaert, Ruscha, Rothko, Morandi, De Chirico and especially travel literature

His work is in collections such as Fundación Argentaria, Coca-Cola Foundation, Bancaixa Collection, Collection Testimoni La Caixa, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, the IVAM, Artium of Vitoria and others.

The most important monographic exhibitions that have been made about his work are:

• 'Who's afraid of the Turner Prize'. T20 Gallery. Murcia. May 2010

• Ángel Mateo Charris: "It was like giving my body to the spirits of others". La Verdad, May 25, 2010