Domingo Zapata

Domingo Zapata
Born
Palma, Mallorca, Spain
Alma mater
Movement
SpouseMiranda Planas-Backman
Children2
Writing career
Notable workThe Beautiful Dream of Life
Websitedzapata.com

Domingo Zapata is a Spanish artist, writer, filmmaker, chef and fashion designer. He became a full-time artist in 2002 and sold his first major painting to George Soros in 2005. Since then, he has had over 100 international exhibits and shows. In 2017, he launched a fashion collection at New York Fashion Week. That same year, he published his first novel, The Beautiful Dream of Life, which is currently being made into a film.

Early life and education

Zapata was born in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, and is ethnically from Andalusia, Spain. In 1993, he moved to London and studied art at the Regent's University London. He then moved to Washington, D.C. where he attended American University and studied contemporary and studio art.[1] Prior to embarking on an art career, Zapata moved to New York City in 1999 and worked in finance and, briefly, in the music industry as a chairman for IMC Records (he is credited as a co-writer on an updated version of the Los del Río song, "Macarena").[2]

Career

In 2002, while Zapata was still working on Wall Street, he began pursuing his hobby of painting. It was at this time, one of his paintings of polo horses attracted the attention of contractor Michael Borrico.[2] In 2004, Borrico hosted a private art show at his home that contained some of Zapata's paintings. Businessman George Soros attended that event and later purchased Zapata's Blue Horse in 2005.[2]

In 2011, Haute Living magazine commissioned Zapata to do the cover art for 24 issues of the magazine.[3] In 2010, he created a 35-by-15-foot mural for the Wynwood Walls in Miami.[1] Also that year, Polaroids of Lohan that he took and then painted over were sold to a British collector for $100,000 USD.[4] The work is a part of his series Ten, for which Kim Kardashian, Sofía Vergara, and Michelle Rodriguez have also modeled.[2] In 2013, 30 of his works were displayed for the Venice Biennale at the Palazzo da Mula. Many of the paintings exhibited were part of Zapata's Mona Lisa series, a collection of pieces featuring Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa in various "disguises."[5][6] In July 2014, Zapata's painting of the crucifixion of Jesus was put on display at the Palma Cathedral.[7]

In 2015, he entered into a licensing agreement with clothing company Alice + Olivia,[8] and collaborated with the footwear brand Superga. Zapata's Superga shoe collection featured 11 styles based on his original paintings.[9]

Later that year, Domingo began to channel his energies into charity work with children and education. This initiative began with a TEDxSyracuse talk discussing the healing powers of art.[10]

In 2016, Zapata announced that he had sold a novel to Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. The semi-autobiographical novel, The Beautiful Dream of Life,[11] was published in July 2017.[12] The novel has been adapted into a film that is in pre-production at this time for filming in 2027.[13]

In February 2017, Zapata unveiled a clothing collection at New York Fashion Week based on his artwork.[14][15] He also organized other shows at New York Fashion Week[16] and Los Angeles Fashion Week in 2018.[17] The New York Post described Zapata as the "new Andy Warhol, with starlets begging for a sitting." His collaboration with Alice + Olivia and the CFDA, A + O X DOMINGO ZAPATA, furthered the fusion between his art and fashion.[18]

In the summer of 2019, Zapata painted the largest vinyl mural in the history of New York City, in Times Square, on the East, West and South facades of the One Times Square building.[19] On each of these three facades, it wrapped 15 stories in length and 300 feet in height, covering a total area of 30,000 square feet in total painted surface. The motifs used by Zapata for this work included a retrospective of his prior work including Polo Players, Pandas, Flamenco dancers and Flowers, all influenced by his native Spain and time spent living in New York City. It was created by a team of 25 people, working with Zapata for more than 3 weeks to complete his work with scaffolding suspension holding the crew over 200–400 feet above NYC during the installation and painting.[19] It was maintained and featured in Times Square through the summer of 2020. It was partially painted, and partially printed on vinyl. After it was taken down, it was cut into 6-by-6-foot squares and donated to charities in support of art education.[19] He did further charity work in 2023 when he donated a mural and additional works including fashion pieces to Northwell Health for an $150 million health care fundraising drive for behavioral health initiatives for at risk children with mental health challenges.[20] [21]Also that year, he painted a 45 foot mural for the Children’s Hospital at New York Hospital. It was sold for charity into blocks.[22][23]

Zapata has had multiple audiences with Pope Francis, and many of the meetings produced artistic collaborations. The initial meeting in 2019 was a celebration of immigrants and Zapata remarked, "I'm a citizen of the world and a constant immigrant, and I come from a humble background. The subject of immigration, therefore, is important to me. Especially in an age where people want to build walls between countries. I disagree with this thinking and I want to raise the issue and make a point out of it."[24] This meeting led to Zapata being named an ambassador for Pointifical Scholas Occurrentes Foundation. The initial artistic collaboration between the Pope and Zapata was auctioned for $500,000 US in benefit to the Schools Occurrentes charity.[25]

In 2021, Zapata and actor Jordi Mollà participated in the documentary The Private Lives of Jordi Mollà & Domingo Zapata, directed by Giuseppe Ferlito and produced by the English production house Publikro London.[26][27]

In March 2022, Zapata was chosen by Louvre and Grand Palais Immersif curators as one of the artists, along with Picasso, Dalí, Basquiat, and Warhol, to be exhibited at a new immersive exhibition in the Palacio de la Bolsa in Marseille, France. Joconde: Exposition Immersive explores Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa.[28]

Domingo Zapata has had over 100 solo shows in the past 20 years throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe including at the prestigious Art Basel Miami Beach and Venice Biennale .[29]

Zapata has been strongly influenced by his father who is originally from Alcaudete, Jaen. In 2019, the town recognized his contribution to the arts by naming a street in his honor. Since 2021 in homage to his father, he has actively participated and collaborated in the town’s annual bull fighting tradition. [30] To further honor his father’s memory, an annual “corrida zapatista” has been staged with world famous matador, Sebastian Castella. The festivals have been held in arenas in Palma, Mallorca,[31] Cali, Columbia[32] and in Beziers, France. The 2026 corrida zapatista took place during the Beziers Feria attended by 1 million visitors.[33] During each event, all of the matadors and the arena is painted and decorated by Zapata in honor of his beloved father’s memory.

In 2026, Zapata was asked to design, construct and paint the world’s largest mural which is anticipated to take more than 5 years to complete. Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority, tapped Zapata for the project. It is supported by Saudi Arabia’s monarch, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, who has championed investing in the nation’s cultural infrastructure as part his $2 trillion Vision 2030 initiative.[34]

Personal Life

Zapata’s primary studio and home is in Dubai. He travel extensively as well. In 2026, he married Miranda Planas-Backman. He has two children from his first marriage, Dominga and Paul. [35]

Style and Persona

Zapata has been referred to as the "next Andy Warhol" for both his pop art sensibilities and his celebrity lifestyle.[2][36][37] He has also been described as a neo-expressionist[14][36] because of his use of bright colors and his "visceral," "graffiti-like" painting method.[1][6] Zapata has noted that he uses color to evoke and represent emotion (usually happiness).[38] Many of his works explore thematic elements such as "sexuality, opulence, and vitality," often incorporating text into the artwork.[39] Zapata often creates different series based on a single theme. These include his Polo series, Matador series,[2] Ten series, Mona Lisa series, and Panda series.[5][6]

Cultural Awards

1) Cultural Impact Award. Awarded to Domingo Zapata by the United Nations for his leadership and support for art in education as an engine to transform future generations. Sept 20, 2023. Public Foundation[40]

2) Brooklyn Borough President Honors Domingo Zapata as an Most Influential Artist of the Year- Latino Heritage 2019[41]

3) Extraordinary Four Award. The School of Heroes. The Guiding Light of Peace Award. June 2022[42][43]

4) Lab School of Washington, 2016 Gala - Honored Outstanding Achievement for those with learning disability (former award winners include Tom Cruise, James Earl James, Cher, Gavin Newsome)[44]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Conesa, Kris (September 18, 2012). "Artist Domingo Zapata Falls for Miami". Ocean Drive. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kurutz, Steven (April 24, 2013). "Domingo Zapata's Best-Known Work May Be Himself". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  3. ↑ Delgado, Alexandra (October 20, 2011). "Domingo Zapata Teams Up with Haute Living for a Commissioned Cover Series". Haute Living. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  4. ↑ Vilensky, Mike. "Inspired by Lindsay". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Aguilar, Andrea (May 21, 2013). "Zapata, el conquistador". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "Mosaic at the Venice Biennale Part 3: Domingo Zapata and Koko Mosaico". Mosaic Art Now. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  7. ↑ "La Catedral exhibe una crucifixión de Domingo Zapata". Diario de Mallorca (in Spanish). July 4, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  8. ↑ Petrarca, Emilia (April 29, 2015). "Art Stars". W Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  9. ↑ Abel, Katie (October 12, 2015). "Superga, Domingo Zapata Team Up for Collaboration". Footwear News. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  10. ↑ TEDx Talks (May 4, 2015). The healing powers of art | Domingo Zapata | TEDxSyracuseUniversity. Retrieved August 15, 2026 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ Freeman, Nate (August 5, 2016). "Domingo Zapata Has Sold a Novel". ARTNews. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  12. ↑ "The Beautiful Dream of Life – Kirkus Review". Kirkus Reviews. July 17, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  13. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (May 26, 2023). "Artist Domingo Zapata To Direct Adaptation Of His Novel 'The Beautiful Dream of Life'; Cary Granat & Ed Jones Producing – Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  14. 1 2 Benson, Juan (March 3, 2017). "Mallorquín Artist Domingo Zapata 'Olés' His Way into Fashion". Forbes. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  15. ↑ Street, Mikelle (February 21, 2017). "Domingo Zapata Turned His Art into Clothing For Fashion Week". Vice. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  16. ↑ Gomez, Shirley (February 14, 2018). "Domingo Zapata Merged Art, Fashion During NYFW Show 'Be Yourself, Tags Are For Facebook' [PHOTOS]". Latin Times. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  17. ↑ Mills, Cristen M. (March 20, 2018). "HoC Art Tuesdays: Domingo Zapata & His "Freedom" Fashion Show for Los Angeles Fashion Week". Heart of Cool. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  18. ↑ "When Your Confronted with Art, It Speaks to Everybody". HuffPost. November 14, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 Sayej, Nadja (August 27, 2019). "'You might see yourself in it': behind New York City's biggest-ever mural". The Guardian. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Programs - Global Strategic Partnerships | Northwell Health". www.northwell.edu. September 27, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Keeping children's behavioral health care out of emergency rooms | Northwell Health". www.northwell.edu. February 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Domingo Zapata And Sita Abellán's NFT Series Is Launching 2024". 0.0.0.0. January 9, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  23. ↑ "How Art Supports Healing". Youth Art For Healing. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  24. ↑ Artnet News March 22, 2019
  25. ↑ artheartfashioin.com may 30, 2021
  26. ↑ "Padova, Private lives l'ultimo lavoro del regista Giuseppe Ferlito - TGR Veneto". December 11, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Publikro London Presents a Special Screening of "The Private Lives of Jordi and Domingo" at the Faena Theater". November 23, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Domingo Zapata en el Museo de Louvre". Art Miami Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Menu 1". Domingo Zapata. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  30. ↑ Gómez, Shirley (August 20, 2019). "Spanish Artist Domingo Zapata Paints 15-Story Mural In Times Square, The Largest In New York History". Latin Times. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Domingo Zapata volverá al Coliseo Balear en la II corrida de toros nocturna Zapatista". Ultima Hora (in Spanish). May 8, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Domingo Zapata volverá al Coliseo Balear en la II corrida de toros nocturna Zapatista". Ultima Hora (in Spanish). May 8, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Corrida Zapatista – Arènes de Béziers". www.arenes-beziers.com. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  34. ↑ "World's Largest Mural Aims to Be Saudi Arabia's 'Sistine Chapel'". Artnet News. February 17, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  35. ↑ Zapata, Domingo (August 15, 2026). – via Personal interview. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  36. 1 2 Jenison, David (December 15, 2016). "Why Domingo Zapata Is an Art-World Rock Star". PROHBTD. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  37. ↑ Erice Oronez, Manuel (July 2, 2016). "Domingo Zapata, el "Andy Warhol español" vuelve a la soltería". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  38. ↑ Arriola Cauff, Regina (October 26, 2012). "Color Me Happy – Domingo Zapata". Haute Living. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  39. ↑ de Causans, Delphine (April 20, 2012). "Haute Art: Domingo Zapata Or The One Who Runs The Art World". Haute Living. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  40. ↑ pvblic (October 3, 2023). "Leaders and social actors convened at the Cumbre de Impacto Iberoamericano 2023 to join efforts for Sustainable Development in Iberoamerica". PVBLIC FOUNDATION. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  41. ↑ Hay, R. Couri (October 17, 2019). "Domingo Zapata: Artist & Humanitarian". DOWNTOWN MAGAZINE. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  42. ↑ "Video Gallery | PS 58 School of Heroes". www.ps58q.org. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  43. ↑ Yarger, Heidi (June 2, 2022). "Legendary Graffiti Artists Transform P.S. 9 with Mural Makeover". Thrive Collective. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  44. ↑ "The Lab School Annual Gala | About the Event". www.labschool.org. April 20, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
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