Miguel Berrocal

Miguel Ortiz Berrocal (Villanueva de Algaidas, Málaga, 28 September 1933 – Antequera, Málaga, 31 May 2006) was a Spanish figurative and abstract sculptor. He is best known for his puzzle sculptures, which can be disassembled into many abstract pieces. These works are also known for the miniature artworks and jewelry incorporated into or concealed within them, and the fact that some of the sculptures can be reassembled or reconfigured into different arrangements. Berrocal's sculptures span a wide range of physical sizes from monumental outdoor public works, to intricate puzzle sculptures small enough to be worn as pendants, bracelets, or other body ornamentation. From 1967 to 2004, Berrocal worked in Verona, Italy, and in nearby Negrar, where he worked closely with sculptural foundries to produce his art. His work was exhibited widely throughout Europe and also in North and South America and Japan. In 2004 he returned to his birthplace in Spain, remaining artistically active until his sudden death in 2006. The Fundación Escultor Berrocal (Berrocal Sculpture Foundation) continues to preserve and promote his artwork and legacy, from its headquarters in his hometown of Villanueva de Algaigas in Spain. From a very early age, Berrocal demonstrated a talent for art and research. He produced his own toys with recycled material, drawing and painting with colors of his own design. He completed his education in Madrid. An important experience was his first visit to the Prado art museum, which he revisited often. He attended the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, the Escuela de Artes Graficas, and evening classes at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios, where he befriended his tutor the sculptor Ángel Ferrant. He enrolled at the Faculty of Exact Sciences to prepare for the entrance examination for Architecture studies. He was fascinated by analytic geometry, and this later manifested itself in the style of his works. In 1952, Berrocal's first exhibition took place in Madrid at the Galería Xagra.