Known for his cheerful and childlike creations, Spanish artist Javier Calleja has amassed an enormous global following for his wide-eyed characters.
A smaller-scale version of a mural done by the artist in his hometown Málaga in 2013 to promote local urban art culture, the present work I Will Stay Here A While is a perfect illustration of the artist’s style – brimming with whimsy, satire, fueled by deep sentiments, while transporting viewers back to the vibrant hometown of his.
Provenance
Private Collection, Paris Drouot-Estimations, Online, 25 October 2021, lot 57 Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Javier Calleja (b. 1971) is a contemporary Spanish artist living and working in
Malaga, Spain. Calleja is most known for his figurative style of cartoonish, doe-eyed
characters with exaggerated features. His style is influenced by the toys and comics
from his 70s and 80s upbringing. Calleja’s characters are often accompanied by text
that contrasts the innocent and adolescent looking facial expressions of the
characters represented in the compositions. Calleja works in painting, sculpture,
and works on paper.
Calleja holds a BFA from Granada University in Spain. His works have been exhibited worldwide and he is currently represented by Almine Rech.
signed, inscribed and dated 'I will stay ... Javier Calleja 2013' on the reverse; titled '"I WILL STAY HERE A WHILE"' lower left acrylic on canvas 24.2 x 33.2 cm. (9 1/2 x 13 1/8 in.) Painted in 2013.