Lita Cabellut: From Street Child to Icon of Contemporary Art

Lita Cabellut (1961, Spain) is an artist who lives and works in The Hague (Netherlands), whose work has become a benchmark in contemporary art. As a fully-fledged artist, her creative activity spans multiple disciplines. She not only needs painting to express herself; her creative drive to capture the fragility and strength of the human spirit reaches out and traverses the most diverse techniques and creative fields, from sculpture to photography, from installation art to video art and performance, from illustration to costume design, not excluding opera set design, graphic art, or poetry, all of which are necessary disciplines in her tireless pursuit of emotional connection with the public through art, delving into the depths and dichotomies of the human soul. Her working method is based on reflection and detailed study of the selected motif as the main concept that she later develops in her atelier. The pieces she develops on a large scale combine traditional techniques and modern applications. The characters chosen are the communication channel of the concept. Through these characters that act as interlocutors, the human being, the social message, brutality, selfishness, ignorance, or transcendence are the central themes in her work. Her creative process is visceral and physical, and this is reflected in the texture, gestures, and unvarnished emotional intensity of her large-scale pieces. She considers art a key element for transforming and improving society. She was born in Sarinena, Aragon, Spain, in 1961. Growing up on the streets of Barcelona instilled in her a profound understanding of human resilience and vulnerability—a perspective that would profoundly shape her artistic vision. Until she was adopted at the age of twelve, Cabellut navigated the challenges of homelessness with remarkable determination, selling imaginary stars on the pavements and forging connections within a community marked by hardship. This formative experience fueled her desire to portray the complexities of human existence through art, capturing both its beauty and its darkness. Her grandmother’s passing at the age of twelve marked a pivotal moment in her life, propelling her into an orphanage where she received care and support from compassionate caregivers. It was during this period that she discovered the Prado Museum and became captivated by the paintings of Goya, Velázquez, Ribera, and Rembrandt—artists whose mastery of technique and emotional depth inspired her artistic aspirations. The profound influence of these masters would become a cornerstone of her artistic style. At the age of nineteen, Cabellut moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands, where she enrolled at Gerrit Rietveld Academy, honing her skills in classical painting technique under the guidance of accomplished instructors. Her studies solidified her commitment to art as a means of expression and exploration—a conviction that would continue to drive her creative endeavors throughout her career. She began to take classical painting technique classes four times each week and had her first exhibition at the age of 17 at the Town Hall of Masnou, Barcelona. Her artistic journey took an extraordinary turn when she encountered Francisco de Goya’s *The Third of May 1808*, a monumental canvas depicting the execution of Spanish patriots during Napoleon's invasion—a painting that resonated deeply with her own experiences as a child on the streets. “I recognised in this painting the expressions in the eyes of the people that I crossed in the streets when I was little,” she recounts. “This painting describes the madness, the hope, the terrific moments that the human being can have when you lose your security.” This encounter ignited her passion for art and cemented her belief in its ability to convey profound emotions and ideas—a conviction that would guide her artistic explorations for decades to come. Cabellut’s technique is characterized by large-scale canvases that combine traditional techniques with modern applications. Considered an “informal figurative painter,” she developed a contemporary variation of the classic fresco technique and a recognizable personal palette style, creating series of realistic oil paintings on canvas. Beyond her artistic language, social issues and humanity are central themes of Lita Cabellut’s work, which she considers essential to her process and showcases through her series of monumental portraits. Her works have been exhibited in numerous museums around the world, including the MAC Museum of Contemporary Art (La Coruña), RABASF Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (Madrid), Vila Casas Foundation (Barcelona), CSMVS The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Mumbai) in India; Pivot Centre for Art + Culture (Seattle) in the USA USA; Seoul Arts Center in Korea; Contemporary Art Museum (Sicily) in Italy; Hälsingland Museum (Hudiksvall) in Sweden; YUZ Museum (Shanghai), Shanlight Art Museum (Guiyang) in China; the Museum Jan (Amstelveen) or Het Noordbrabants Museum (Den Bosch) in the Netherlands. Her work is included in the permanent collections of several museums such as Museo Goya Colección IberCaja, Zaragoza, Spain; Museo Arte Contemporánea Sicilia, Catania, Italy; The Fendi Collection, Italy; Vila Casas Foundation; Goya Museum; Zuloaga Collection; Omega Capital Group Collection; The Paul van Rensch Foundation, the Netherlands. Mixed media on canvas 250 x 145 cm | 98.4 x 57.1 in Enquire