While perusing a used book store the other day, I came across “The Fantastic World of Gervasio Gallardo”!
Born in Barcelona in 1934, Gervasio Gallardo studied art in Spain and worked for several Spanish agencies before moving to Munich in 1959. He then spent four years in Paris working with the Delpire Agency. In 1963, he traveled to the United States where he met Frank and Jeff Lavaty who have represented him since that time. Gallardo went back and forth between Paris and the U.S. and eventually returned to Barcelona to set up his own studio.
By the early 1970’s, Gallardo had gained recognition as a commercial artist. “His paintings for advertisers in medical and trade journals were characterized by a style of extreme realism coupled with a puckish sense of humour – a tearful eye embedded in a thicket of greenery depicted the dire effects of not using a certain anti-histamine.” At the same time, Gallardo worked on his personal paintings which he sold to collectors and museums. His paintings leaned toward Surrealism and were influenced by Dali and Magritte but with more humour and whimsy.
In 1969, Ballantine Books commissioned Gallardo for its adult fantasy series. These cover paintings became a signature for the series and were recognized immediately by fans.
Gallardo has received numerous awards in Europe and the United States and has had many solo exhibitions in Paris, Barcelona, and the United States.
Oddly, I was unable to find any information about Gallardo beyond a series of Grand Marnier ads he did in 1988. To see more of Gallardo’s work, visit Lavaty Art.
