Widely known as “the painter of happiness” Eva Armisén brings her joyful universe to Cádiz this summer, with a vibrant new exhibition spread across two emblematic sites: the Castillo de Santa Catalina and the city’s historic market. On view through mid-September, the show offers her unique vision of summertime: lighthearted yet introspective, filled with tenderness, wonder, and small everyday rituals transformed into poetry.
With her cheerful brushstrokes and unmistakable characters, Armisén has enchanted audiences across the globe, and this latest exhibition is a radiant celebration of the season and the emotions it awakens. It is the latest milestone in a career that has touched audiences around the world, from Seoul to Los Angeles, from Singapore to Miami, where she is proudly represented by Markowicz Fine Art.
Armisén’s work is immediately recognizable for its joyful simplicity, yet beneath her signature childlike figures and radiant palettes lies a profound understanding of human emotion. Her canvases, often featuring families, couples, and solitary dreamers, are filled with quiet reverence for the present moment. Flowers bloom, eyes meet, hands touch, but always gently, always with sincerity. Her art smiles. And it does so in a universal language that transcends cultures and borders.
Born in Zaragoza in 1969, Armisén trained at the University of Barcelona and furthered her studies at the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. Her style, rooted in painting and engraving, has evolved to encompass ceramics, sculpture, public art, and even illustrated books. Across these varied forms, her sensibility remains unmistakable: light, open, and deeply human. While comparisons to artists like Henri Matisse or Paul Klee may come to mind, particularly in her bold use of color and intuitive line, Armisén is guided less by formal theory than by emotional truth. Like Keith Haring, she understands the power of simple forms to express complex feelings. Like Marie Laurencin, she lends a gentle femininity to her figures without ever veering into sentimentality. Her work inhabits that rare space where innocence meets sophistication.
Over the past two decades, Armisén has built an impressive international presence. Her exhibitions in Asia, especially in South Korea, have earned her a devoted following. She also participated in public art projects that bring her signature warmth to the urban landscape. Yet her greatest success may be her ability to connect with viewers of all ages, across all cultures, through images that speak to the beauty of simply being alive.
Markowicz Fine Art has long championed Eva Armisén’s work, presenting it in fairs and exhibitions in the United States. Her pieces continue to resonate with collectors who are drawn to her authenticity and emotional intelligence. In a world that often feels chaotic and disconnected, Armisén offers an antidote: a return to presence, to gentleness, and to the small things that matter most. Verano is more than an exhibition: it is an invitation to pause, to look within, and perhaps to rediscover the quiet joy of being human. For those unable to visit Cádiz, the spirit of the show, and of Eva Armisén herself, lives on through her work at Markowicz Fine Art.
