A great-nephew of Picasso will be in charge of the scenery for the Picassian Bullfight in Málaga.

Jacob Vilató (Barcelona, 1979), great-nephew of Pablo Ruiz Picasso, will be in charge of the scenography for the 2026 Picassian Bullfight in the La Malagueta bullring, an event with which Málaga annually pays homage and tribute to the painter born in Plaza de la Merced, who throughout his career was a renowned bullfighting enthusiast and in whose work the bull plays a leading role.

This was announced this Friday by the Málaga Provincial Council, the owner of the bullring, which has opted for an artist whose work is defined by the energy of gesture and the intensity of color. The president of the provincial institution, Francisco Salado, highlighted that this will be the starting signal for the events that the supra-municipal entity is organizing on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the La Malagueta bullring, and whose program will be announced shortly.

Salado emphasized the strength and colorfulness of Vilató's works and advanced that the poster for the Picassian - an event to be organized by the current concessionaire of La Malagueta, Lances de Futuro, since their contract expires in June - will be presented to the public in an event to be held in February.

Career

Jacob Vilató, coming from a family with an artistic tradition, is a visual artist whose work explores with unique emotional intensity themes such as perception, identity, and memory. His path to painting was preceded by training in architecture, a field he eventually abandoned to fully dedicate himself to his artistic passion.

"This break with his professional past meant for Vilató a profound transformation, not only in professional terms but also personal and existential, leading to a body of work that reflects his constant search for balance and authenticity," as highlighted by the Provincial Council in a statement.

In his work, marked by a vigorous, emotional, and direct pictorial language, Vilató deliberately seeks to avoid contemporary visual saturation, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in images that pose open questions rather than conclusive answers. His style is gestural, featuring powerful and symbolic use of color, revealing his commitment to an art that communicates on multiple levels.

His career includes solo exhibitions in prestigious institutions such as the Museum of the Arts at the University of Guadalajara, the Clavijero Cultural Center in Morelia, Mexico, and the Iris Art Museum in Suzhou, China, as well as participation in renowned events like Art Basel Miami. Vilató has also had a presence in emblematic institutions such as the Tamayo Museum in Mexico City, thus strengthening his international projection.

In addition to his pictorial work, he develops curatorial and editorial projects. Currently, Jacob Vilató lives and works in Barcelona, from where he continues to develop international artistic projects with a special emphasis on Mexico, a key country in his recent professional trajectory.