SECUNDINO HERNÁNDEZ
b. 1975, SpainSecundino Hernández blends colour and shape, abstraction and representation, taking inspiration from art history to create his own visual language. His energetic artworks explore the creative process itself and ideas of reconstruction.
Early Years
Secundino Hernández was born in Madrid 1975 and loved art from an early age. “While other children played football, I spent my afternoons drawing,” he said in 2024. He studied at the faculty of fine arts at the Complutense University of Madrid, as well as completing residencies in Rome, Berlin and Vienna.
Secundino Hernández: Artworks
Hernández has said: “For me, painting is a tool for understanding the world, explaining my inner life, and forging connections with fellow human beings. It’s a map and means of structuring my thoughts through colours, shapes, planes, and lines, both within empty and painted spaces.” He combines styles and references: abstraction and representation, gesturalism and minimalism. He references his home country of Spain via creating dialogue with the work of Spanish artists, but his practice has also been compared with Action Painting.
- Hernández’ large-scale gestural works of the 2010s, based around the primary colours, displayed huge contrasts of colour. A great example is Rojo (2017).
- Hernández’ stitching practice, combined with acrylic paint, creates space on the linen for pops of vibrant colours from purples to oranges—key examples were made in 2025.
- In his 2024 London exhibition Problematic Corners, Hernández rejected traditional square and rectangular canvases in favour of cornerless oval artworks, offering an alternative perspective on painting through the lens of his bold colours and gestural lines—a great example is the yellow-toned paint and fabric of Myrtle Beach (2024).
Secundino Hernández: Select Exhibitions
Select Solo Exhibitions
- Drift and Secundino Herández, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon, León (2025)
- Problematic Corners, Victoria Miro, London (2024)
- Sure Shot, Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna (2023)
- time TIME, Victoria Miro, London (2022)
- Uno a uno, The Insular Museum, Cabildo of La Palma (2021)
- Distinguished Guest: Secundino Hernández, Meadows Museum, Dallas (2020)
- Lowry I. Lowry II. Lowry III. Foresta Negra. Park Life (Forest). Relleves 1—10, Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid (2019)
- New Paintings, Galerie Bärbel Grässlin, Frankfurt (2018)
- In October Ecstasy, Galerie Forsblom, Stockholm (2017)
- Pintura, Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid (2016)
- Entre Primavera y Verano, Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2015)
- Kisses and Kisses, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki (2014)
- Lupis Ipsum, Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid (2013)
- Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo (2012)
- Raw, Mid Raw, Galerie Nuno Centeno, Porto (2011)
- Inigenismo, Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna (2010)
- La tierra es redonda, Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid (2009)
- Una era tu madre, Art Cologne with Henrich Ehrhardt, Cologne (2008)
- Luna Roja, Galería María Llanos, Cáceres (2007)
- Hauch!, Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid (2006)
- Galería Casaborne, Antequera, Málaga (2005)
- Galería Luis Adelantado, Valencia (2003)
- Centro de Arte Joven de la Comunidad de Madrid, Madrid, Spain Galería Espacio F,
- Espacio para el Arte Emergente, Madrid (2002)
Select Group Exhibitions
- Victoria Miro: 40 Years, Victoria Miro, London (2025)
- Entre los ojos el deseo, Olivia Arauna Collection, Alcobendas Art Centre, Madrid (2024)
- The lens within your heart, Takeuchi Collection, What Museum, Tokyo (2023)
- Painters Paint Paintings: La Versión, Nino Mier Gallery One, Los Angeles (2022)
- The Sky was Blue the Sea was Blue and the Boy was Blue, Victoria Miro Gallery, London (2021)
- Cuando B se encuentra enre C y D, Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid (2020)
- He Abounded in Happy Curiosities, Espacio Valverde, Madrid (2019)
- EuroVisions: Contemporary Art from the Goldberg Collection, CMAG—Canberra Museum and Gallery, Canberra, Australia (2018)
- 20cm From the Ground, L21 Gallery, Palma (2017)
- High Anxiety: New Acquisitions, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, Florida (2016)
- de la mano, CentroCentro Ciebeles, Madrid (2015)
- Hunger—Hambre, Fourth Edition, Barcelona (2014)
- Painting at the Edge of Reality, Victoria Miro, London (2013)
- Still, Frith Street Gallery, London (2012)
- Berlin Klondyke 2011, Art Centre Los Angeles (2011)
- Todos mis amigos han muerto, Galería Casaborne, Antequera (2005)
- Homemade, Espacio Fourquet, Madrid (2000)
- Poemas y objetos, Taller Alfiz, Madrid (1996)
Further Reading
- Secundino Hernández’s website
- Secundino Hernández’s Instagram
- Interview in Ocula (2024)
- Artist profile page at Victoria Miro
Secundino Hernández FAQs
What materials and techniques does Secundino Hernández use?
Hernández uses many tools and techniques. For example, his “palette” paintings are created by combining large areas of colour with calligraphic strokes, whereas his “wash” canvases remove layers of paint with a pressure-washer, exploring the dialogue between the acts of painting and erasing. He has also made his own tools.
Who are Secundino Hernández’ influences?
Rather than referring to specific artists, Hernández is more interested in the procedures of making art, such as finding materials, creating and refining processes, and working in a studio space. However, in his exploration of the historical dimensions of art, he researches art history and the Old Masters.
Does Secundino Hernández make wine?
The artist told Ocula in 2024 that he is developing a small vineyard and “a modest winery” in a village in central northern Spain and that he has found connection to the rituals of the land. “Making wine and painting were among the first human activities in the course of civilisation,” he said.
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