Lino Lago, a Spaniard born in 1973, is certainly among the contemporary artists to keep an eye on. His latest series, Fake Abstract, has been a worldwide success and the monochromes with iridescent and pastel shades from which classic portraits peek out have driven Milan, Paris, New York, Singapore, Shanghai and all the main art centers crazy. , with prices continuously rising.

The secret to his success? A biting and refined irony, comparable to that of Magritte, a declared criticism of his colleagues who feel invested with an almost divine-shamanic role to the point of appearing fake (hence the decision to use the adjective fake) and the a successful attempt to transform the contrast between classical art and contemporary art into a harmonious and fun coexistence.

The principle behind the Fake Abstracts, all oils on canvas that reveal excellent pictorial ability, is very simple. The protagonists of the paintings, Renaissance figures belonging to the most classical art, are literally covered by a single-color layer that leaves only a glimmer of them exposed. A glimmer of light that has often been associated with the gesture of scratching or the orderly and precise action of an eraser that erases the new to bring out the old.

Curiosity is typical of the human race and, in front of these faces, or details, that emerge from an abyss of color one cannot help but wonder if Lino Lago actually painted the entire portrait and then covered it with the Pollock's enthusiasm, or he made fun of us by limiting himself to painting the areas necessary to obtain the surprise effect. To find out, in fact, you would have to scratch the rest of the work aware, as in Manzoni's famous little boxes and in many other masterpieces of contemporary art, of having to sacrifice the work itself for the noble cause of truth.

In the end, however, the result is the overcoming of the perennial fracture between abstract and figurative, classic and contemporary, in the name of a universal art where it is not important where one starts but the result. A result that entertains, makes you think and pleases the eye. Without any pretense of omnipotence on the part of the artist who, having abandoned the role of the prophet, plays with his audience.

Despite a solitary soul (in a recent interview he said that he goes out very little and spends most of his time in his home-studio), Lino Lago has conquered the world of art and design: he has participated in prestigious international fairs such as Arco, Art Miami and SH Contemporary in Shanghai. His works have been exhibited in international spaces such as the Casa de Galicia in Madrid, the Flint Institute of Michigan and the George Adams Gallery in New York.

Adored by the most glamorous press, he has appeared in Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue Italia. Houses furnished with his works have often been the protagonists of AD, also because his creations have an innate ability to enhance any environment in which they are found.

Fake Abstract is the series that gave him fame and success but the previous ones are also very interesting. From Paint over Paint, where paintings by Da Vinci, Velasquez, Bronzino and Ingres reproduced to perfection are enriched with splashes of color or graphite, to the Attacks depicting welcoming bourgeois interiors, or galleries, invaded by a shower of paint, up to the irreverent Commented Paintings where provocative, and often irreverent, writings complete classic subjects.