Darío Villalba

Darío Villalba Flórez (San Sebastián, February 22, 1939 - Madrid, June 16, 2018) was a Spanish painter and photographer. In his youth he was also a skater, and represented Spain at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympic Games.

At the age of 18 he held his first exhibition at the Alfil gallery in Madrid and began his studies at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts. At the same time he studied Law, which he abandoned, and Philosophy and Letters. He also practiced drawing at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.

In Paris he painted in André Lhote's studio for a few months. In 1962 he received a scholarship to study at Harvard University, which led to a series of exhibitions in the USA, publicizing his series: The Duchess of Alba and Fósiles, Torsos y Traces. In 1967 he began his trips to London, which became an excellent source of urban photographic images. His series Los Encapsulados brought him great international success.