Spanish, b. January 20, 1903, Turégano, Spain — d. January 10, 2001, Bridgehampton, New York

Esteban Vicente was a Spanish Abstract Expressionist painter. Known for his gestural and contemplative compositions, Vicente’s work focused on exploring color and tonal harmonies rather than the expressive improvisation of his Abstract Expressionist peers. He was an integral member of the New York School of painters, working alongside Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman and Willem de Kooning.

Vicente spent his youth visiting the Museo del Prado, and went on to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes in Madrid. He left Spain for New York in 1936 to escape the Spanish Civil War, and rarely returned to his home country thereafter; however, a museum dedicated to his life and work was established in Segovia, Spain.

Today, Vicente’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum in Spain, and the San Diego Museum of Art, among others.