Oscar Dominguez (Spanish, 1906–1957) was a Surrealist painter born in San Cristóbal de La Laguna on the island of Tenerife. In 1927, he was sent to Paris by his father to run the family business. While living there, he was introduced to the artistic community, and became enthralled with the works of
Yves Tanguy (American/French, 1900–1955) and
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). In the early 1930s, he presented his first Surrealist paintings at Tenerife's Circle of Fine Arts, and eventually opened a studio in Montmartre. During the Civil War, he experimented with Decalcomania, a technique by which engravings and prints are transferred to pottery or other materials. Dominguez used gouache spread thinly on paper, or some other surface, which was then pressed onto canvas.
He committed suicide on New Year's Eve, 1957.
Since his death, Dominguez's works have been shows in museums and galleries worldwide, including at the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, Japan; the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, France; the Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain; and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY.