Istan painter Salvador Calvo brings 40 years of colour to Marbella this September

Marbella’s Centro Cultural Cortijo Miraflores will open his exhibition Decadas de suenos en color on September 3 at 6.30pm. Visitors can visit and contemplate the free exhibition until September 28. Pedro Manuel Molina Pena has curated a selection that follows more than four decades of work by Salvador Calvo, from nearby mountain village Istan.

Calvo first exhibited his works in Malaga and Madrid in the late 1960s. His paintings later appeared in Chicago, Wisconsin, Indiana and Oklahoma, as well as Greece, Luxembourg and Johannesburg. Works already can be seen in collections at Fundacion Unicaja, Diputación de Málaga as well as the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Vilafames.

Soft colour, firm lines

Calvo’s canvases allow colour to spread in thin veils and muted tones. Morning light, still water and organic air come to mind. Fine, exact lines then hold those fields in place. Pigment feels loose; geometry feels certain in his images. Visual restraint, command of colour and controlled shape run through the whole display.

Abstraction is the language of the works here. Atmosphere and formal clarity matter more than story. Anyone who already knows the old farmhouse-turned-centre will recognise the quiet fit: white walls, a garden of exotic plants, and rooms that once held an olive mill.

Practical details for a visit

Calle San Pedro de Alcantara, 10, is the address, in the Pilar-Miraflores area of Marbella. Opening times follow the centre’s usual weekday pattern; weekends can differ, so a quick call to 952 76 87 93 is wise. Entry is free.

Readers who caught La Kavra’s group show at the same venue earlier this year will find another reason to return. Marbella’s Museo del Grabado and Estepona’s recent Picasso and Sorolla displays sit in the same Costa del Sol circuit.

Istan still claims Calvo as a favourite son; Marbella now gets a month with his colour and geometry under one historic roof.