Miguel Manrique was born in Madrid in 1938. His father was an artist and cinematographer who taught him to draw and paint watercolours but also suggested that he looked for a profession that was more stable!
The artist left Spain in 1957 for England looking as he puts it for “freedom and to see the world”. He intended to leave England for France after a year but has remained in this country ever since.
He had learned from his father that art is a very precarious occupation and decided to make a career for himself by going to university in London and study mathematics. For most of his working life he has been with large companies employed in various roles in IT and there was very little time to restart again his passion for painting. He still drew as often as he could, but did not start painting again until the late 80’s. In 1997 he took early retirement so that he could concentrate on art full time.
His paintings have been exhibited at the Fairfield Hall in London and in various other places in England. Recently, he has had an exhibition at Céret in France.
He considers himself a painter in the Spanish tradition. His main influence comes from the colours of the Mediterranean, which he feels allows him to portray the spirit of what painting should be about, namely, colour and movement. His favourite painters are Velasquez, Picasso and Matisse.