Carlos Parra

Carlos Parra.

He was born in the Hacienda “La Laguna” (Baeza, Jaén) (current Museum of Oil of Andalusia) in a well-to-do family of olive growers, where, together with his other 3 brothers, he studied Primary Education thanks to a private teacher in his Hacienda, until the time came to study the Baccalaureate, and his father sent him to the Institute of Baeza.

José Carlos, “Lalos” to his family, was the oldest of 4 brothers. At the age of 4 he made his first drawing, figures out of his imagination, which turned out to look like fishes without having seen any before. From then on, he interpreted what he saw and captured it in drawings, despite his father’s strong opposition.

At the age of 12, after a tragic family incident, he returned to his Hacienda to take care of his mother, and to draw for her, fearing to be discovered by his father, until she died at the age of 16. He then leaves his home to go to Madrid, with 8,000 pesetas in his pocket he walks all over the capital. There she was ecstatic contemplating galleries and museums, observing, asking questions and copying works in the museums, like any art student.

He ended his time in the capital and went to Barcelona where he visited the Picasso Museum, studied at the Massana School, painted sketches and small works that he sold to survive. He came into contact with a young independent alternative theatre group, “Els Joglars” and began to study theatre and film for more than 5 years. Until one day, for one of his plays, this alternative group needed to present a poster and… there was Carlos wanting to do it. From this reunion with the graphic arts he understood that his desire was to dedicate himself fully to painting.

His eventful life led him to Ibiza where he came into contact with artists and bohemians with whom he mimicked his appearance. Fate dictated that in this environment she should meet the painter Osborne who, from his stall at the market by the Wall, painted abstract miniatures in the mid-1970s. With him, she got to know the work with mud, pigments and Indian ink for the first time and held exhibitions such as the one at the “El Olivo” Gallery in Ibiza.  This is how he was discovered by Isabel Alberich (from the Altea Art Gallery), which catapulted him to other cities and countries. He travelled around Paris, Berlin, Florence, San Francisco… He settled in Paris for a while, where from the Latin Quarter he made a living painting in the streets. He also lived in Florence where he studied Art, enrolling freely in the University, taking courses and receiving classes, when his economic resources allowed it.

In short, Carlos Parra is an artist who graduated in Art from the University of the street.