Arnal Ballester
I was born in Barcelona in 1955. I am a graphic illustrator. Since 1989 I have been teaching Visual Narrative at Escola Massana d’Art i Disseny in Barcelona.
My field of work is quite diverse and includes books, editorial, advertisement, design, animation and other works that I wouldn’t know how to classify.
I understand my profession as a way to communicate freely, trying ways and learning from mistakes.
I like teaching because it is a means of exchanging knowledge and continuously testing that which is taken for granted.
And I also believe that the quality of the work is directly proportional to the time spent thinking, drawing or building without being subdued by the duties of the briefings, the prejudices of the clients or the pressure of the bills to pay.
In my case, all of this has resulted in 80 illustrated books; regular contributions, during various periods of time, for the principal Spanish newspapers and cultural magazines; animations for TV, foundations and film festivals; many works published in several countries and dozens of artworks difficult to classify. Some of these are included on this website.
Some Awards
Illustrators of the Year Award of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair -UNICEF (1993),
Best illustrations for Children’s Books Award (“National Award”). General Administration of Books, Archives and Libraries. Spanish Government (1993)
Premi de la Crítica “Serra d’Or” Award 1995 to the illustrations for the books Els artístics casos de’n Fricandó (The artistic cases of Fricando)
Junceda Awards of Animation, to Amigo Hulot, for the TV channel Canal Digital+ (2004)
Nacional Illustration Award, Minister of Cuture of the Spanish Government (2008)
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu/La Galera Award (2009)
Gráffica Awards 2015
Some Books
Joan Salvat Papasseit. Poesies. Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat, Barcelona 1991
Ana está furiosa (text by Christine Nöstlinger). Ediciones SM, Madrid 1992
La boca risueña (text by Montse Ginesta), Ediciones Destino, Barcelona 1992
La dulce mirada (text by Montse Ginesta), Ediciones Destino, Barcelona 1992
Las dos manchas (text by Montse Ginesta), Ediciones Destino, Barcelona 1993
La sombra negra (text by Montse Ginesta), Ediciones Destino, Barcelona 1994
Madisú. ( text by Christine Nöstlinger y Frank Abu Sidibé) Ediciones Gaviota, Madrid 1997
Goldilocks and the three Bears (adaptation by Marta Mata). Chronicle Books. San Francisco 1998
No Tinc Paraules (Arnal Ballester’s drawings). Editorial Media Vaca. Valencia 1998
La Leyenda de Guillermo Tell (adaptation by Mª Àngels Gardella). La Galera, Barcelona 1999
Vista Cansada (drawings by Arnal Ballester). Ediciones Sins Entido. Madrid 2000
Base y el Generador Misterioso (text by José Antonio Millán. Siruela. Madrid 2002)
Sagesses et malices de Birbal, le Radjah,(adaptation by Patrice Favaró), Albin Michel, Paris 2002
Barques de paper. (text by Salvador Espriu). Editorial Cruïlla. Barcelona 2003
Bestiarara (text by Arnal Ballester) Orecchio Acerbo. Roma 2003,
Chamario (rhymes by Eduardo Polo-Eugenio Montejo). Ediciones Ekaré. Caracas 2004
El Gran Zoo (poem book by Nicolás Guillén). Libros del Zorro Rojo. Barcelona 2009
Don Queharé (text by Rut Vilar), La Galera, Barcelona 2009.
Una pierna (text by Carlos Grassa Toro), A buen paso, Barcelona 2016
El día antes de la Revolución (text by Ursula K LeGuin), Editorial Nórdica, Madrid 2017
Invitación a un tiempo explosivo.(text by Julián Lacalle y Julio Monteverde) Editorial Sexto Piso. México/Madrid 2018
Some Exhibitions
COLLECTIVES
The Secret Garden. 30 aniversary of Bologna Children’s Book Fair. 1996
He perdido mi sombra (I’ve lost my Shadow). Arnal Ballester, Raúl, Calpurnio. Obra Cultural Caja San Fernando. Sevilla 2000
El texto iluminado. Una mirada a la ilustración española y latinoamericana contemporánea (The Enlighted Text. A glance about Contemporary Spanish and Latin Ilustration). National Library. Madrid 2001
Ilustrísimos. Panorama de la ilustración infantil y juvenil en España (Ilustrísimos. An outlook on Spanish Children and Youth Illustration). Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Bologna 2005
O debuxo por diante (Drawing First!). Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea. Santiago de Compostela 2007
Monzó. Com triomfar a la vida (Monzó. How to be Succesful in Life). Centre d’Art Santa Mònica. Barcelona 2009
Art Dome. Ssamzie Galery . Seul 2009
Vivan los Toros.Valencia University Valencia (Spain) 2010
1812+12. AC/E, Itinerante. 2012
Artists and masterpieces of illustration. 50 aniversary Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Bologna 2016
Books in Catalan. Sharing the future. Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Bologna 2017
Ever Meulen & friends. La Maison de l’Image. Brusel·les 2017
INDIVIDUALS
Vista Cansada. El 29, Banyoles (Girona) 1997. Galería Urania, Barcelona 1999. Galería Amok, París 2000. Universidad Tadeo Lozano, Bogotá 2003. Universdad Nacional, Bogotá 2003
Cifras oficiales. Librería Panta Rhei. Madrid 2006