Dictionary
Group El Paso

El Paso was an important artists’ group, which alongside Dau al Set, played a key role in the promotion of Informel art in Spain. The group was founded in 1957 and disbanded in 1960. El Paso’s members included the artists Martín Chirino, Antonio Saura, Manolo Millares, Eduardo Chillida, Luis Feito, Rafael Canogar, Manuel Rivera, Manuel Viola and Lucio Muñoz, all of whom practised Informel art. Their work was thus characterised by a gestural, expressive visual language, which radically rejected Geometric Abstraction. Antonio Saura’s (1930-98) unsettling works, which were primarily executed in black, white and grey tones, and frequently depicted landscapes, faces, and figures, were particularly striking.
The group’s name, which means "crossing" or "passage", referred to the group’s progressive artistic ideas. The artists repeatedly made references to Spanish history and traditional folk art in their works. Through a number of exhibitions and the publication of the journal Cartas de El Paso, the group was able to provide Informel art with a platform in Spain, thus bringing the style into public consciousness.