Early Life and Education
Born in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, Balbino Giner was the son of the painter Balbino Giner Garcia. Following the Spanish Civil War, his family moved to France, eventually settling in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, specifically in Amélie-les-Bains and Perpignan. His formal artistic training began in Montpellier, where he studied painting at the Beaux-Arts between 1955 and 1957. He continued his education at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris, graduating in 1961.
In his early career, he exhibited under the pseudonym Gino Giner. His artistic journey was marked by a significant shift during the events of May 1968, which led him to engage with avant-garde movements such as support surface, street art, and various collectives. This period of radicalism was so profound that he burned his previous pictorial production. He later returned to painting in the 1980s, developing a personal and colorful visual language.
Later Years and Artistic Legacy
From 1968 to 1997, Giner served as a painting instructor at the Beaux-Arts in Toulouse. His later years included a two-year period in Latin America, primarily in Santiago, Chile, before he returned to the Catalonia region to settle in Collioure. His final works are described as luminescent, graphic, and characterized by a sense of erotic sensuality.
His exhibitions and contributions to art include:
