Portaolaya, a Spanish artist born in Bilbao, is a realist painter with a delicate and perfectionist technique that evokes the great masters of art.

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In his work, one can find a wide variety of themes: still lifes that convey the taste and aroma of fruit, Basque seascapes with their unmistakable fishing boats that allow you to sense the fresh sea breeze, and delicate figures dressed in period fabrics that transport you to a romantic era. Like all great masters, Portaolaya executes his paintings in oils, revealing to the viewer a vibrant world of colour and intricate details that leave one speechless before his works.

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His passion for art began at a very young age. Supported by his family, he travelled to Barcelona to begin his studies. He pursued Fine Arts at the Massana School (Barcelona), where he trained for two years, learning different techniques, experimenting, and discovering his own artistic style.

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It was there that his teachers recognized Portaolaya’s talent and skill in realism. They encouraged him to move to Madrid, where he could perfect his realist technique at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts, an institution with highly selective admission. He studied there for three years. His mastery was such that he was invited to teach Fine Arts at the Escorial School (Agustinos). He taught for a year, but his creative curiosity led him to explore other fields. For seven years, he worked in advertising at Plasbil (Bilbao), where he created large-format artistic pieces. Later, he was selected by Movierrecord Films (Madrid), once again showcasing his creativity through the manual design of film posters.

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Today, he is an entrepreneur and runs his own business in the restaurant industry. Throughout his career, he has exhibited his work in Madrid, at the Centre for Modern Art in Portugal, at Gallery Müller in Zurich, and at Galeria Amate in Paris, among others.