Juan de la Rica (b. 1979) is a Spanish painter based in Bilbao whose work balances a dense, introspective quality with the lightness and irony of Pop Art, echoing artists like Alex Katz and David Hockney. He emphasizes drawing as the foundation of painting, describing it as essential to his process, and attributes the melancholy in his work to intuitive creation rather than intention. His subjects—humans, animals, gods, and landscapes—combine depth and vivid colour, creating a continuous interplay between complexity and the playful, ironic tone of his figures.
Solo exhibitions include Stillness is the Move, Allouche Gallery, New York (2024); La Utopia del Vivir, Galeria Victor Lope, Barcelona (2024); La Utopia del Vivir, Galeria Victor Lope, Barcelona (2023); To Catch a Glimspe, Vins Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan (2022); You’re Welcome, Galeria Lumbreras, Bilbao, Spain (2021); Fundación Carlos de Amberes, Madrid, Spain (2021); The Incident, Gitler &___ Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA (2021); La Trama, Galería Ormolú, Pamplona, Spain (2019); Final de Juego, XX Exhibition of Contemporary Art D’Mencía, Cordoba, Spain (2018); Artemis, Galerie Sebastien Adrien, Paris, France (2018); Espejismos, Os Catro Gatos, Santiago de Compostela (2018); Fabulas y Obstáculos, Galeria Ormolú, Pamplona, Spain (2017); Tipos Populares, Centro Cultural Villa de Móstoles, Madrid, Spain (2017); Tipos Populares, Centro Cultural Villa de Móstoles, Madrid, Spain (2016); La Puerta Gótica, Pamplona, Spain (2016); Belaza Gallery, Bilbao (2016); Farsa Figurada, Centro de Arte Tomàs y Valiente (CEART), Fuenlabrada, Madrid (2016); Casa de Cultura, Trucios, Vizcaya, Spain (2013); Eleskaparate, Barakaldo, Vizcaya, Spain (2012); Inercias, Sala Torrena, Getxo, Vizcaya, Spain (2011); Finissim, Berger Gallery, Barcelona (2011); Euskaltel, Parque Tecnológico de Zamudio, Vizcaya, Spain (2010); Supermeneos, Sala Portalea, Eibar, Guipuzcoa, Spain (2010); Arvum, Galeria Aixerrota Arte, Getxo, Vizcaya, Spain (2009); Expodistrito, Bilbao (2008); Museo de Arte et Historia de Durango, Vizcaya, Spain (2008); Casa de Cultura, Bakio, Vizcaya, Spain (2007); Ayuntamiento de Plencia, Vizcaya, Spain (2007).
Group exhibitions include Symposium, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach (2025); Small is Great, The Preuss Collection, Stuttgart, Germany (2025); Summer Show, Allouche Gallery, New York (2025); Three Balloons, Rising above the Tree Line, 22a Gallery, Veltem-Beisem, Belgium (2025); Expo Chicago, Allouche Gallery, Chicago, IL (2025); Expo Chicago, Allouche Gallery, Chicago, IL (2025); Art Karlsruhe, Victor Lope Gallery, Karlsruhe, Germany (2025); The Really Great Winter Show, Albert Contemporary, Odense, Denmark (2024); Luxembourg Art Week, Victor Lope Gallery, Luxembourg (2024); New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Volume III, Victor Lope Gallery, Barcelona, Spain (2024); Swap, Better Go South + Gärna Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2024); Narratives: Crafting Stories out of Order, Août Gallery + Galería (2024); Yusto/Giner, Dubai, UAE (2024); Estampa Contemporay Art Fair, Galeria Victor Lope, Madrid, Spain (2024); Enter Art Fair, Albert Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark (2024); Painting, Smoking, Eating, curated by Andrew Salgado and Kurt Beers, Saatchi Gallery, London (2024); Volta Basel, Galeria Victor Lope, Basel, Switzerland (2024); Volta Basel, Galeria Victor Lope, Basel, Switzerland (2024); Expo Chicago, Allouche Gallery, Chicago, IL (2024); Grand Opening 2.0, Albert Contemporary, Odense, Denmark (2024); Grand Opening 2.0, Albert Contemporary, Odense, Denmark (2024); Grand Opening 2.0, Albert Contemporary, Odense, Denmark (2024); The Barn Show, Johannes Vogt, East Hampton, NY (2023); The Barn Show, Johannes Vogt, East Hampton, NY (2023); Art Miami, Allouche Gallery, Miami, United States (2023); New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Volume I, Galería Víctor Lope, Barcelona, Spain (2023); New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Volume I, Galería Víctor Lope, Barcelona, Spain (2023); New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Volume I, Galería Víctor Lope, Barcelona, Spain (2023); Summer Love, Gärna Art Gallery, Madrid, Spain (2023); Summer Mix Vol. 1, Tuesday To Friday, Valencia, Spain (2023); Brilliant New Faces, Allouche Gallery, Los Angeles, United States (2023); Brilliant New Faces, Allouche Gallery, Los Angeles, United States (2023); Eve Presents Number 3, Eve Leibe Gallery, London (2023); UVNT Art Fair, Yusto/Giner Gallery, Madrid, Spain (2023); Generación Agridulce, Mayoral Gallery, Barcelona, Spain (2022); Estampa Contemporary Art Fair, Yusto/Giner Gallery, Madrid, Spain (2022); Birds of a Feather, Marian Cramer Projects, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2022); Decoding, Vins Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan (2022); Panorama, Cohle Gallery, Menorca, Spain (2022); Paper!, Beers London, London, United Kingdom (2022); 1st San Lucas Biennial of Contemporary Art, Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain (2019); Galerie Sebastien Adrien, Paris, France (2019); Ormolú Gallery, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain (2019); 22nd National Painting Competition of the City of Antequera 2018, Málaga, Spain (2018); 26th Telax Award, Antoni Pinyol Gallery, Reus, Tarragona, Spain (2018); Galerie Sebastien Adrien, Paris, France (2018); Ormolú Gallery, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain (2017); Focus-Abengoa International Painting Prize 2016, Seville, Spain (2017); Sala Portalea, Eibar, Guipúzcoa, Spain (2017); Lumbreras Gallery, Vizcaya, Spain (2016); 31st BMW Painting Prize, Madrid, Spain (2016); 24th Telax Award, Antoni Pinyol Gallery, Reus, Tarragona, Spain (2016); Focus-Abengoa International Painting Prize 2015, Seville, Spain (2015); Ibercaja Young Painting Award 2015, Zaragoza, Spain (2015); Sarean Room, Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain (2015); Incubarte 7, Valencia, Spain (2015); Jeffrey Meier Gallery, Lambertville, NJ (2015); Eskapararte, Barakaldo, Vizcaya, Spain (2014); 73rd International Exhibition of Plastic Arts of Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real, Spain (2012); Berger Gallery, Barcelona, Spain (2012); XX Premio López-Villaseñor de Artes Plásticas, Ciudad Real, Spain (2011); Berger Gallery, Barcelona, Spain (2011); Convergencias 2011, Gijón, Asturias (2011); Ertibil Bizkaia 2011, Muestra Itinerate de Artes Visuales, Sala Rekalde, Vizcaya, Spain (2011); Getxoarte 2010, Getxo, Vizcaya, Spain (2010); XII Bienal de Artes Plásticas, Navarra, Spain (2010); 71st International Exhibition of Plastic Arts of Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real, Spain (2010); XI Certamen de Pintura UNED, Vizcaya, Spain (2010); Ertibil Bizkaia 2010, Travelling exhibition of Visual Arts. Rekalde Hall,Vizcaya, Spain (2010); Getxoarte 2009, Getxo, Vizcaya, Spain (2009); 70th International Exhibition of Plastic Arts of Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real, Spain (2009); Getxoarte 2008, Getxo, Vizcaya, Spain (2008); Ganorabakoak, Exhibition Hall of the UPV, Leioa, Spain (2008); Culture Hall of Getxo, Vizcaya, Spain (2007); Exhibition Hall of the UPV, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain (2006); CAPC, Museum of Contemporary Art, Bordeaux, France (2005)