Juan Antonio Guirado was amongst the thousands of Spaniards who chose to leave the shores of Spain behind in search of new life on the other side of the world as part of Operation Eucalyptus in 1959.
'Operation Kangaroo was the first of the agreements between the two countries and was quickly followed by Operation Eucalyptus (1959), Operations Emu (1960), Karry (1960) and Torres (1961).
Between 1958 and 1963, 7816 Spaniards arrived in Australia to work in the sugarcane fields and later in other trades.
Operation Kangaroo was an agreement negotiated between Australia and the government of Spain, which at the time was under the rule of Francisco Franco.' - SBS Spanish - read article
Following a European tour to appreciate the works of Renaissance masters, Guirado began creating murals for advertisements in New York in 1955, reminiscent of the TV series MadMen. A year later, his painting skills were acknowledged in Madrid when an American couple spotted him sketching the Cuchilleros Arch and bought several of his artworks. In 1957, they welcomed him to Miami for his inaugural international solo exhibition at the prestigious Fountain Blue Hotel. Guirado's exposure to new opportunities during his journeys likely influenced his choice to depart from Spain's fascist Franco regime and initiate 'Operation Eucalyptus for a fresh start in Australia. It is probable that Australians were taken aback to discover a talented artist among the agricultural workers they were recruiting as inexpensive cane cutters.
Upon arriving in Australia in 1958, Guirado initially resided in Bonegilla before taking up employment at the Port Kembla Steelworks and later working as a cane cutter in Queensland. He described his immigrant experience as challenging, with the locals displaying rudeness and racism towards Spanish workers.
After moving to Sydney, he found a place to stay in Paddington and spent his days painting in a studio. To support himself financially, he took on cleaning jobs at night in factories and offices owned by a Mexican businessman. His artistic talents caught the attention of the factory owner, who then hired him to paint portraits of his daughter. From 1961 to 1964, Guirado showcased his work in his initial series of exhibitions in Australia at various galleries in Sydney, where he primarily presented landscapes and portraits.
In 1965, he encountered the woman who would later inspire him and become the mother of his child, Audrey Ballard (1936-2023). He had been in search of an artist's model, and Audrey was recommended to him by a common acquaintance. Originally from England, she had also participated in a migration program between Britain and New Zealand in 1960. In New Zealand, she initially worked for the post office before transitioning to theater, having been an actress in England. To supplement her income, she frequently posed as a model for artists and played a role in the artistic and theatrical scene of New Zealand in the early 1960s, eventually becoming a muse for the renowned Kiwi painter James Coe, whose portrait of Audrey is displayed in the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington.
After moving to Sydney due to a failed romance, Audrey worked in theater and pursued modeling on the side. She later moved in with Guirado, assuming the role of his muse and life partner for the subsequent fifteen years.
While living in Australia, Guirado discovered Oriental mysticism, delving into Vedanta, one of the six orthodox systems of Indian philosophy. Life as an immigrant was hard, and the Australians were not so kind to the Spanish workers. However, Guirado was fascinated by the open land and its origins. The spirituality he found there came from the "closeness to the earth," which, in his view, "is still so much part of the country and people." This realization began to form the basis of his 'visions' and the paintings that define his unique style.
In 1965, he held an exhibition at the Campbel Gallery, marking the final showcase of this painting style. Until 1967, Guirado's artworks primarily consisted of traditional portraits and landscapes, reflecting the training he received at the José Nogué School of Art at the age of 10. He later moved to Madrid in 1947 to apprentice under the painter-muralist Joaquin Segarra for ten years. During his time in Madrid, he also pursued studies in portraiture at the prestigious San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
One evening, as he worked in his studio, he grew frustrated with the traditional painting he was working on and desired to develop a fresh painting style that could capture the visions in his mind. In a moment of impulse, he tossed the oily rag at the canvas and took a step back...
In this interview, Guirado recalls how he created his unique signature style of painting and the school he chose to be part of Intrarealism.
Although he created a new exciting signature style of painting he continued painting classical portraiture and in 1966 Guirado was commissioned to paint a portrait of Pope John Paul VI for the Australian Cardinal Gilroy's private collection.
Guirado was also one of the founders of the famous Spanish Club and painted a series of Velasquez copies to hang in the club as well as a portrait of the most famous Spaniard the legendary 'Don Quixote'. Audrey and Juan would frequent the club during their time together in Sydney as their home from home with Audrey sewing some of their flamenco dancer friend's dresses while Juan painted the copies of Velasquez.
"The bedrock of the Spanish Quarter was the Spanish Club.
This club opened at 88 Liverpool St in 1962 to service the many thousands of immigrants arriving in Australia following the 1958 signing of a migration agreement between Spain and Australia. Spanish migrants took the opportunity, in their droves, to escape the European nation’s fascist dictatorship.
By the late 1960s, the Spanish Club had 2,000 members and promoted itself as the “centre for Spaniards in Australia”, featuring Spanish food, wine and decor, along with a library, cinema, art and a “sleeping room” for small children. “In the dining room, where the tables are covered with vivid red linen, the traditional broths of Spanish provinces are served, as well as garlic prawns and paella,” the Sydney Morning Herald reported in 1969.
Spanish restaurants soon clustered around the club.
"- The Rise and fall of Sydney's Spanish quarter READ ARTICLE
JUAN ANTONIO GUIRADO FINDS SUCCESS AT THE "EL DORADO" GALLERY 1967
Mr. Juan Antonio Guirado held an exhibition of 21 of his abstract-expressionist paintings at the "El Dorado" Gallery (373 Pitt St.) from the 12th to the 25th of March.
Although he has exhibited some of his paintings alongside other painters in four or five previous occasions, this was the third solo exhibition that he has held in Australia.
The first exhibition, which was surrealist in character, took place at the "Saint Yves" Gallery in North Sydney, and it was remarkably successful.
Guirado, who studied for four years at art academies in Jaen and Seville (San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts), and learned to paint portraits with the Sevillian master, Romero Rosendi, has demonstrated his artistic talent through traditional painting. One of his latest portraits was of Pope Paul VI, which he made for Cardinal Gilroy's collection.
Nevertheless, as it is characteristic of restless youth, he would like to test new techniques and other mediums of artistic expression.
Inspired by the backgrounds of El Greco's paintings, one of Juan Antonio Guirado's favourite painters, he has produced another 21 paintings (more abstract than those of El Greco), in which the artist's religious views and experiences are perceptible. Instead of painting tangible objects, he paints religious ideas and concepts that originate from different Biblical passages. Explicit forms are not perceptible in his paintings. With only a mixture of colours - above all yellow, blue and red- he gives expression, life and force to his chosen themes.
There was full attendance at the inauguration which was conducted by Mr. Javier Casadesus, Vice-consul of Spain. Apart from distinguished representatives of Australian society, such as Count Francis Pongracz, the painter Bos Van Goes, Mr. Dykshoorn and Mr. Schumacher, various Spaniards with an interest in cultural activities, Dr. Javier Comyn, Mr. Francisco Degen, Mr. Jaime Hervas, Mr. Raul Gomez, their distinguished wives and many other friends of the exhibitor were also in attendance.
The art critic of the "Sydney Morning Herald" has described his artwork as sublime.
“My work while I was in Spain was traditional enough-portraits, landscapes- [. . .] but I had to go to Australia to evolve a distinct and personal style [. . .] My pictures in Australia were full of light and I used colours like blue, white and yellow.” In Spain they were shades of brown and grey.
!["Sydney Artist London Bound." [Sydney] 15 Dec. 1970. (Exhibition at The Craftman's Gallery)](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/fd0240_2fa43b1ee0ce4e10801806822c53a20c~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_406,h_1208,al_c,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/fd0240_2fa43b1ee0ce4e10801806822c53a20c~mv2.png)
Australia played a crucial role for Guirado as an artist and painter, establishing his unique artistic and stylistic approach. While in Australia, his artistic style underwent a significant transformation from realism, impressionism, and expressionism to Intrarealism. He showcased his new abstract surreal style in solo exhibitions at renowned galleries such as the El Dorado Gallery, St. Ives Gallery, Douglas Gallery, and the Roundhouse at the University of New South Wales in 1969.
In 1970 Guirado returned to Madrid with Audrey at his side. Now a renowned Spanish Australian artist, he brought with him a collection of captivating artworks that he had crafted during his time abroad, particularly in Australia. The vibrant and unique pieces were put on display at the prestigious Cultart Galleries in the heart of the capital city. Originally intended to run for three weeks, the exhibition garnered such overwhelming interest and admiration from the public that it was extended for an additional three weeks, totaling six weeks of showcasing Guirado's masterpieces.
Guirado's decision to unveil his latest creations in Madrid was a strategic one, aiming to reintroduce himself to the Spanish audience and showcase his evolution as an artist influenced by his experiences in Australia. The exhibition served as a platform for Guirado to unveil his new artistic style, which bore the imprint of his time spent immersed in the landscapes and culture of Australia.
The event captured the attention of art enthusiasts and critics alike, drawing widespread coverage in various magazines and television programs. The media buzz surrounding the exhibition led to the production of a documentary film that delved into Guirado's life, artistic journey, and the inspiration behind his mesmerizing creations. Through this comprehensive coverage, Guirado's work reached a broader audience, solidifying his reputation as a visionary artist with a distinct and innovative approach to his craft.
On return to Australia Guirado was soon back participated in a group exhibition featuring all-Spanish artists at the Craftsman's Gallery.
![Johnson, Patricia. "This Spaniard's Art." The Australian Women's Weekly [Sydney] 11 Nov. 1970. (Cultart Madrid Exhibition)](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/fd0240_a3855e26ecc44aeb9953cc7706ad7bd4~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_1001,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/fd0240_a3855e26ecc44aeb9953cc7706ad7bd4~mv2.png)
In an interview conducted by Patricia Johnson which was featured in a weekly Australian magazine, the painter revealed that the colours that he used in Australia compared to those used upon his return to Madrid 'were radically different [...]. My pictures in Australia were full of light, and I used colours such as blue, white and yellow. In Spain all my pictures were in shades of brown and grey.'
In 1973, Guirado left Australia to settle in Europe for good, accompanied by Audrey and their young daughter. They first lived in Madrid before moving to Guirado's native town of Jaén. The impact of Australia, which included the spiritual enlightenment Guirado underwent and the innovative painting technique he adopted there, remained a crucial part of his life. Over the years, Guirado frequently turned to Australian landscapes for inspiration and as a point of reference for his apocalyptic-style artworks. His career as a solo artist was launched in Australia with the country adopting him as one of their own rising stars. Over the next decade Guirado would become one of the most internationally exhibited Spanish painters of the 1970s receiving international critical acclaim yet to this day he is still not widely recognized in his homeland despite works in major museums and private collections including the Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid.
Catalina Guirado, President; Guirado Estate.
Comentarios