Biography and career
Contemporary Spanish portrait painter. His realist work spans ballet, large-format scenes, nudes and, of course, commissioned portraits.
Mikel Pinto (Artziniega, Álava, 1994) is a contemporary Spanish realist painter and portraitist, recognised for a style that combines realism, expressiveness and mystery. He is the son of the painter José María Pinto, under whose mentorship he cultivated from childhood an early obsession with painting.
He studied English Studies (Linguistics and Literature) at the Complutense University of Madrid, a literary training that particularly permeates his artistic practice. He refined his classical drawing and work from life at the Museum of Artistic Reproductions in Bilbao.
Who is Mikel Pinto?
Mikel Pinto (Artziniega, Álava, 1994) is a Spanish realist painter and portraitist with a studio in Madrid. The son of the painter José María Pinto, he studied English Studies (Linguistics and Literature) at the Complutense University of Madrid and refined his classical drawing and work from life at the Museo de Reproducciones Artísticas in Bilbao. He paints large-format scenes and dance series in oil and watercolour, as well as commissioned portraits —in oil, pencil, charcoal and watercolour—, several of them in private collections. He was a finalist for the 56th Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture (2021) and in 2025 presented his first international solo exhibition at the Palácio Biester in Sintra (Portugal), with Luka Art Gallery, as well as work at the Biennale Internazionale della Riviera Romana.
In his own words
A conversation about painting and literature
Interview at the Palácio Biester · Luka Art Gallery
Content in Spanish
«Pain can be beautiful, it can be just and it can be good, however much it hurts us».
Mikel Pinto, interview for «Spain Today»
Career
Exhibitions and awards
Each milestone has its own page, with photographs and more information.
