Painter and poet · 1926-2024
Painter and poet
Yolanda Graziani Rosa was a painter and poet from Gran Canaria, recognised as a pioneer of lyrical abstraction in the Canary Islands. Her work, marked by the use of lacquers, enamels and glazes, transformed inner, marine and cosmic landscapes into a personal visual language.
She was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on 3 December 1926, into a family of Italian origin also linked to Teror. She trained as a self-taught artist and from an early age understood painting as a means of personal expression. Teacher Juan Trujillo and other support from the cultural milieu encouraged her to develop her own artistic practice.
In 1962 she received first prize at the 10th Regional Fine Arts Biennial of Las Palmas with a triptych composed of Paisaje nevado, Gruta and Desfiladero. The following year she held her first solo exhibition and soon exhibited outside the Canary Islands. During the 1960s and 1970s she showed work in Spanish cities, Italy, Sweden, Japan and Latin America.
Her painting evolved from dark caves and lunar landscapes towards brighter marine and cosmic series. In 2011 she was named Favourite Daughter of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; in 2021 she received the Can de Plata de las Artes. She died on 20 October 2024 after more than six decades devoted to painting.
