Manuel Izquierdo (1925-2009) was a major talent and charismatic
personality in Oregon's modern art movement in the second half of the
twentieth century. This book traces his compelling story of
poverty-stricken origins in Madrid, his introduction to woodworking by
his cabinet-maker grandfather, his childhood escape from Spain following
the Spanish Civil War and emigration from France during World War II,
and his life as a sculptor and printmaker in Portland from the 1940s to
the twenty-first century.
Inspired by mythology, nature, and art ranging Goya to Surrealism,
Izquierdo's work is sometimes somber, often festive, and always
fascinating with a combination of tradition, modern art, and a world
view informed by his odyssey from war-torn Europe to the Pacific
Northwest.