The pictorial work of Santiago Ydáñez addresses monographic themes in relation to the expression of the body and, fundamentally, of the gaze. In his works there is always a dialogue between the fetishistic nature of the voyeur and the credulous naivety of the devotee. Behind his paintings there is always a thorough investigation with frequent references to great masters of art history.
Ydáñez is currently one of the Spanish artists with the greatest international recognition, a leading figure in the renewal of painting in our country, with a distinctive figurative language that has given him great visibility on the contemporary scene. He has received important honours, including the BMW Painting Prize (2018), a fellowship at the Academia de España in Rome (2016), the ABC Painting Prize (2002), the Generación 2002 Prize from Caja Madrid, and he was awarded grants by the Colegio de España in Paris (2001) and the Marcelino Botín Foundation (1998). Places where his work has been exhibited include Villa di Livia, Rome; Whitebox Art Center, Beijing; CAC Málaga; CAAM, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; the Chirivella Soriano Foundation, Valencia; ICAS Seville; the Instituto Cervantes, Palermo and Stockholm; the Goethe Institute and Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin. His works are part of different permanent collections, including the Botín Foundation, Santander; the Reina Sofía Museum, Madrid; the DKV Collection; CAC Málaga; Sofía Imber Museum, Caracas; ABC Collectio, Madrid; CAAM Las Palmas or L’Oréal Collection.