Suspended 300 feet above the bustling Times Square intersection in New York City, Domingo Zapata couldn’t have felt any higher. His colossal mural, a retrospective of a 20-year career that has seen him lauded by The New York Post as ‘the next Andy Warhol’, bore his signature Neo-Expressionist style and personal mantra, ‘Life is a Dream’. The 30,000 sq ft mural took pride of place in one of New York’s busiest spots, where an estimated 35,000 people walk by each day. For six days, Domingo painted from suspended state-of-the-art scaffolding, capturing themes and highlights from his spectacular career.
It is this unwavering optimism that has catapulted Domingo from his humble beginnings in Palma de Mallorca in Spain to the dizzying heights of the art world’s elite. Growing up above his father’s car shop, surrounded by “paint and fumes”, he fell in love with self-expression and would often visit the nearby studio of the famed Spanish painter Joan Miró to watch him at work.
Fast forward to 2020, and Domingo has written lyrics for Michael Jackson, exhibited around the world, painted with Pope Francis and headlined at New York Fashion Week. Domingo’s art is collected by stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, and features in the collections of the Missoni family and the investment bank Goldman Sachs.
His latest collection, La Gioconda, sees him transform the iconic ‘Mona Lisa’ by Leonardo da Vinci.
Hand-Embellished Giclée On Deckle-Edged Paper
Framed 33” x 42” | Edition of 95 | £1,950
This archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance has been reimagined to explore what would happen if it was exposed to street art and graffiti. Created in oil and acrylic, his works incorporate mixed media, collage and graffiti. His poetic imagination is visualised through layers of text and visual cues, including symbols and iconic brands and figures. He says his art is a “conversation of colours”, with its distinctive style identified by the raw strokes of paint. Each piece is designed to have a positive influence on the viewer.
Contrasting the work of an Old Master with contemporary techniques, Domingo layers fantasy with reality. “Art is about expressing feelings, passion and love,” he explains. “Everything is possible.”
For more information about artwork by Domingo Zapata, visit Castle Fine Art in Grand Arcade, St David’s Dewi Sant or contact the gallery on
02922 130 100
