The sculptor, painter and graphic artist Miquel Navarro died on 1 November 2026 at the age of 81 in Mislata (Province of Valencia) died. On 2 November, his Casa-Taller: Neighbours, friends, representatives from politics and culture, and fellow artists paid tribute to the deceased and bade him farewell.
The City of Mislata ordered three days of official mourning following Navarro’s death. According to the town hall, the mourning period runs until 23:59 on 3 November 2026. In a statement, the city described the artist as a defining cultural figure in Mislata and highlighted the lasting value of his work for local memory. At the farewell at Casa-Taller, those who knew him spoke of a “universal sculptor” and emphasised his generosity and sensitivity.
Navarro was born on 29 September 1945 and is one of the defining figures of contemporary Spanish sculpture. In 1986, he received the Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Spain’s highest award in the visual arts. His works, often conceived as urban metaphors in series, are represented in Spain and internationally in museums and collections.
In recent years, Navarro had turned his former workshop in Mislata into a public exhibition and archive centre. Casa-Taller houses part of his extensive estate and served as a place for the artist to create, share his work and meet others. According to the city, the house is to remain open to the public and serve as a base for research and exhibitions. The municipality will resolve outstanding organisational questions about the care of the collection and its long-term use in consultation with the family.
The current tributes and farewell at Casa-Taller provide the setting for renewed engagement with Navarro’s work. Cultural institutions point to his consistent visual language and the combination of rigour and poetic imagery. Descriptions of his character – from “modest” to “kind-hearted” – come from public statements by the city and those who knew him. Decisions on future ways of presenting and documenting his estate have yet to be made.
Editor: Celestina Fuentes (Article created with AI assistance).