biography

Domingo Zapata was born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on December 22nd, 1974. Currently, Zapata maintains studios at the historic Bowery Hotel in New York City, the legendary Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and the 16e arrondissement in Paris. In these private ateliers, he produces figurative and abstract expressionist paintings. He paints in both oil and acrylics, often incorporating mixed media, collage, and graffiti.

Since the birth of his career, he has opted to represent himself while actively collaborating with various galleries worldwide including Marlborough Gallery, Parisud and Carmen de la Guerra. Over the past year alone, the Société Générale Monetcarlo, the Fairmont Hotel Montecarlo, and the Joffrey School of Ballet have all celebrated his achievements with ongoing shows. In October 2011, Zapata teamed up with actor-artist Jordi Molla (Blow, Colombiana) to host a star-studded, sold out event at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont. The Global Tiger Initiative championed by The World Bank in Washington DC, has chosen Zapata to represent their cause featuring his monumental pieces Tiger Love and Tiger Wild in their headquarters. Zapata's most recent show, “Dangerous Things,” held at the Delano Hotel during Art Basel Miami 2011, attracted over 1,000 people eager to celebrate his newest works.

Domingo Zapata attended Regents College in London from 1993-1997 and American University in Washington D.C. Here, he pursued various facets of art education both in the classroom and in the studio. He specialized in the study of contemporary art as well as the practice of acrylic painting and pastel drawing. Although he has considered himself an artist since childhood, it was during these years as a student when he cultivated a sincerely captivating style that has since attracted many of the world's most prestigious collectors, including George Soros, Johnny Depp, the Chazen Family, the Cipriani Group, and Joel Robuchon.

Zapata's many and varied life experiences inspire and invigorate his work. Despite distinguished success in the music industry as well as business world, he has chosen to set aside these careers and focus entirely on his passion for painting. For over 20 years Zapata has built a body of work which varies significantly in motif, though consistently explores themes of sexuality, opulence, and vitality in his signature style. In this distinctive hand, Zapata layers fantasy and reality, luring the viewer into his potent, cosmically beautiful world. Known for his signature "Polo" series, which first gained him critical acclaim, more recent work focuses on themes including Spanish culture, American women, and the lifestyle of Los Angeles. He often draws on his experiences as a songwriter (Zapata co-wrote lyrics for Los Del Rio's new top Bill Board hit "The Macarena Song," Michael Jackson and Jon Secada), and exposes his deeply poetic imagination by incorporating text and visual cues into many of his works. In this way, his images coax the viewer into his realm where fact and fiction persist simultaneously, fortifying each others beauty, depth, and meaning.  Recently named an "artist to watch," by the prestigious Whitewall Magazine, Zapata intends to expand the scope and breadth of his projects with great anticipation.

In this vein, Zapata is working on his next show entitled, Ten, debuting at the Cannes Film Festival for which he will draw from muses such as Pamela Anderson, Sophia Vergara, and Eva Herzigova. He will announce the details of his first museum show in the coming months.