Óscar Domínguez

(Spanish, 1906–1957)

Óscar Domínguez was a Spanish artist best known for his loosely rendered Surrealist paintings. Influenced by avant-garde European painters such as René Magritte, Giorgio de Chirico, and Yves Tanguy, he employed bizarre subject matter to great effect. Domínguez, like Max Ernst, used a technique called decalcomania. A transfer process developed for engravers around 1750, decalcomania shifts paint from thin sheets of glass onto canvas or paper. Born on January 3, 1906 in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain, Domínguez's early years were marred by a serious bone disorder. Moving to Paris at age 21, he worked for his father’s company in the day and spent his nights at cabaret clubs. The artist found considerable acclaim among both his peers and audience. Tragically, he committing suicide on December 31, 1957 in Paris, France. His works are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.