BUÑUEL, Alfonso
(Zaragoza, 1915–Madrid, 1961)
An architect, decorator and interior designer, Alfonso Buñuel was also the brother of the celebrated film director Luis Buñuel, a key figure in Spanish surrealism. He was one of the leading Ernstian collage artists, along with Adriano del Valle and Nicolás de Lekuona, despite the fact that his works are mostly unknown, as barely 15 of them still survive today.
From his youth, Alfonso was associated with Luis Buñuel’s circle of friends in the Residencia de Estudiantes (Student Residence) in Madrid. His vocation for collage was confirmed in 1933, after a trip to Paris and London with his brother Leonardo, but more importantly after he encountered Max Ernst and his works in Paris through his brother Luis. In 1934, he moved to Madrid to study architecture, where he cemented his relationship with the members of the Generation of ’27, although the Civil War interrupted his career. Once it was over, he continued studying architecture in Barcelona and later moved to Zaragoza, where he lived until 1945, when he moved back to Madrid. He remained there until 1955, when he returned to his hometown. In both cities, he worked as an architect associated with rationalism, and as a decorator, alongside his intense cultural promotion activity, especially literary, artistic and musical culture.
