JOSÉ QUERO (Jaén, 1932 - Valencia, 2008)."Stretchers", 1968.Oil on panel.Signed and dated in the lower left corner. Signed, dated and titled on the back.Measurements: 60 x 73 cm; 62 x 72 cm (frame).A member of the group Arte Actual, José Quero was an ophthalmologist by profession, which led him to become interested in shapes and colours. He settled in Valencia when he was very young, and from the beginning he combined his work as a doctor with music and painting, an artistic work that earned him national and international awards such as the grand prize at the XII International Biennial of Alexandria (Egypt), the first prize at the IV International Exhibition of Medical Art in Turin (Italy), the Oscar for Painting at the XI International Festival of Cagnes-sur-Mer (France), the first prize for painting at the IV International Art Biennial in Valparaíso (Chile) and the mention at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1971. Since the 1960s, José Quero has been an integral part of the Valencian cultural scene, developing a totally personal language that combines figurative elements with abstract plastic art in a unique symbiosis. In his first stage, entitled "Abstract Spaces and Structures", he developed a language halfway between the real and the abstract, which derived towards 1980 in his series "Closed Doors", with markedly scenographic overtones. Between 1986 and 1996 he developed his "Figures" period, when new signs and gestures were incorporated into his work. Later, in his last stages, he incorporated collage into his paintings. José Quero is currently represented in the Fine Arts Museum of Valencia, as well as in various private collections.