Juan de la Rica: on authenticity and individuality

19.09.2026

Interview with the painter

Juan de la Rica: ‘A true artist is one who, to begin with, accepts that they are not going to invent anything new. If not even Picasso invented anything from scratch, what am I going to invent?’

Juan de la Rica (Bilbao, 1979) is a Spanish painter based in Bilbao. Closely associated with the circle of pop artists such as Alex Katz and David Hockney, Juan de la Rica’s paintings strike us as a breath of fresh air, dense yet superficial at the same time.

In the digital magazine Kluid magazine, we’ll find an interview with this artist in which he not only helps us better understand his art, but also shares his thoughts on authenticity and being true to oneself in a world that constantly cries out for uniqueness and exclusivity.

We notice a characteristic in his work: although his paintings stand alone, they all form part of a collective, of that artistic journey we see in the artist himself, prompting us to ask: is the human being truly an individual, or is he part of a system that functions thanks to his existence, even if he is unable to visualise it?

This interview thus presents a conversation about art, authenticity and that very human need to make sense of our experiences and find our place in the world.

In fact, one question in the interview raises the point that Juan is genuinely interested in each painting being able to exist on its own, without needing to form part of a larger series or project. He makes it clear that he needs freedom; that he cannot impose a script on himself or conceive of a painting as part of a closed series, but rather that the painting itself naturally ends up relating to the rest, as it is still he who is painting it.

Mujer con guindilla y Guitarrista, oil in canva, Juan de la Rica, 2026.

Also, when asked what makes a work stand out on its own when it forms part of such a vast universe, and to what extent this reflects the way we inhabit a global community today without losing our individuality, he explains that it is not for him to tell us what makes a work stand out from the rest, that there is no formula and there are infinite variables; he simply creates his works with the intention that they stand on their own, with a result that is more or less successful for both himself and the viewer.

Returning to the opening quote: ‘An authentic artist is one who, to begin with, accepts that he is not going to invent anything new. If not even Picasso invented anything from scratch, what am I going to invent?’ The artist reflects on how, although an artist may be innovative, no one can escape the history of art, and that it is only when the artist accepts this that they can begin to contribute their own unique aspects, such as their vision and their way of understanding art.

To read the full interview, click here