Alberto Sánchez Pérez was born on April 8, 1895, in Toledo, Spain, into a humble family. His father was a baker, and as a child he worked as a pig herder and later as an apprentice blacksmith, shoemaker, and plasterer. He was entirely self-taught and did not learn to read or write until he was fifteen. He moved to Madrid in 1907 and joined the Socialist Youth, becoming deeply involved in left-wing political circles.
His early sculptures from the 1920s show the influence of Cubism. By the 1930s, he had developed his own distinctive style, moving closer to Surrealism. In 1927, together with the painter Benjamín Palencia, he founded the Escuela de Vallecas, an avant-garde artistic group that sought to modernise Spanish art. He also designed stage sets for Federico García Lorca’s La Barraca theatre company.
In 1937, at the height of the Spanish Civil War, he created his most famous sculpture for the Pavilion of the Spanish Republic at the International Exhibition in Paris. The sculpture, titled “El pueblo español tiene un camino que conduce a una estrella” (The Spanish People Have a Path that Leads to a Star), greeted visitors at the entrance. It was exhibited alongside Pablo Picasso’s iconic “Guernica”. He fought with the Republican Fifth Regiment during the war.
“La austeridad de los materiales en contraste con la riqueza de las composiciones creadas hacen de su trabajo escultórico uno de los más personales del arte español del siglo XX.”
That quote, from the Museo Reina Sofía, translates to: “The austerity of the materials in contrast with the richness of the created compositions makes his sculptural work one of the most personal in 20th-century Spanish art”. His sculptures are known for their interplay between empty and solid spaces, verticality, and characteristic incisions on the surfaces. He achieved his greatest recognition through his sculptures.
In September 1938, the Republican government sent him to the Soviet Union to teach drawing to exiled Spanish children. He never returned to Spain. The bombing of Madrid during the war completely destroyed his studio in the Lavapiés district, along with all the works stored there. He remained in the USSR, working as a stage designer for theatre and film.
During his exile, he abandoned sculpture for nearly two decades, focusing instead on painting. He created self-portraits and landscapes, working in watercolour and oil. It was not until 1956 that he returned to sculpture with renewed energy. His late works often depict female figures and animals, including “Mujer castellana” (1956-58), “Toros ibéricos” (1957-58), and “Homenaje a las mujeres” (1960-61).
Alberto Sánchez died in Moscow on October 12, 1962. He was buried at the Vvedenskoye Cemetery in the city. Today, he is recognised as one of the key figures of the Spanish avant-garde. His 1937 sculpture was recreated in 2001 and now stands in front of the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, a lasting monument to his artistic legacy.
Q: What is Alberto Sánchez’s most famous sculpture?
A: His most famous work is “El pueblo español tiene un camino que conduce a una estrella” (1937), created for the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris International Exhibition.
Q: Why did Alberto Sánchez leave Spain?
A: He was sent to the Soviet Union in 1938 by the Republican government to teach drawing to exiled Spanish children. He remained there for the rest of his life.