A native of
San Roque, Cádiz, his father was a potter, who influenced him from quite a young age with clay figures. In 1931, he studied sculpture at the School of Arts and Crafts of Linea de la Concepcion, and in 1934 received drawing lessons with a teacher and poet from San Roque,
José Domingo de Mena. His parents were shot during the
Spanish Civil War, and in 1940 he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for the offense of aiding the rebellion. In 1944 he moved to
Seville, enrolling in the School of Applied Arts. In this city he became known in art circles, making his first exhibition in 1949. In 1952 he received the
Primer Premio Nacional de Escultura (National Award for Sculpture) for "La Piedad" ("Piety"). In 1955 he moved to
Madrid as a master sculptor of the
Talleres Arte de Granada, later opening his own workshop in the capital. In 1978 he returned to Seville, working in the studio of
Guzmán Bejarano. He died in Seville in 1982. There is a museum dedicated to his work in his home town and his
local parish church features his
Most Holy Christ of the Happy Death. ==References==