María Carbonero was born in Palma in 1956. From an early age, she showed a deep inclination for drawing and painting, influenced by her grandfather, the painter Pedro J. Barceló, a renowned landscape and portrait artist, with whom she spent long hours in the studio and from whom she learned the art of drawing.

She graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona in 1981 and, during those years, had the opportunity to meet Joan Miró, an experience that left a lasting impression on her artistic formation. In 1982, she held her first solo exhibition at the Joaquim Mir Gallery in Palma and, together with other artists, founded the Taller i Galeria 6A, where she developed an important body of graphic work over several decades.

During the first half of the 1980s, she explored abstraction before, in the middle of the decade, making a decisive shift towards portraiture and, more essentially, towards female figures. She also pursued a pictorial exploration of popular themes such as bullfighting and portraits of gypsy women. Her rigorous, bold, and textured brushwork reveals a quest for expressive simplicity that distances itself from academicism.

The year 1995 marked a turning point in her career with a journey to Mali. This transformative experience was reflected in her work through the introduction of ochres, African textile motifs, and ethnic traces inspired by the peoples she encountered. Her now emblematic African portraits emerged from this period—figures of great visual strength. During that trip, she also reconnected with fellow Mallorcan artist Miquel Barceló, with whom she shared moments of artistic reflection.

“The faces painted by María Carbonero are not studies of people, but moral landscapes filled with sensitivity.” Bel Font, 2010

In 2010, at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the Balearic Islands, a retrospective of her work was presented in various venues, including the Museu de Menorca, the Casal Solleric in Palma, and the Fundación Frax of the Valencian Community.

An essential figure in contemporary Spanish art, María Carbonero has exhibited in galleries, museums, and international art fairs across Spain, Europe, and Asia. Her work is part of numerous prestigious private collections and public institutions, including the Es Baluard Museum in Palma, the Museum of Fine Arts of Álava, and the Fundació Sa Nostra.

Her studio is located in Palma, where she currently lives and works.

“I paint what I see, I paint the world.” María Carbonero, El País, 1985