Víctor Goikoetxea: From Painting to Heritage Restoration
Víctor Goikoetxea: From Painting to Heritage Restoration
Mastery of multiple disciplines is, without a doubt, the most defining characteristic of artist Víctor Goikoetxea. In addition to his figurative paintings, sculptures, and sculpture paintings featured in numerous private and public collections, the restoration of historic buildings has become the field that has earned him the greatest recognition. Goikoetxea has been responsible for the rehabilitation of such significant public buildings as the San Sebastián Town Hall (where he remodeled the 1887 plenary hall and reception hall) and the Hernani Town Hall (where he was commissioned to carry out the exemplary restoration of the 1889 assembly hall inspired by French Neoclassical style, employing techniques such as trompe-l’oeil and tempera painting). He also restored the main hall of the central library —the former Las Nieves Church— on the University of the Basque Country campus in Vitoria-Gasteiz. His work extends to private estates of great historical value, among which is a century-old mansion in Olot, where he restored landscape paintings using a rabbit-skin glue tempera technique. His most recent project took place at the emblematic María Cristina Hotel in San Sebastián (a building that dates back to 1912), where he worked on its The Gallery restaurant, part of the Dry Bar, and the lobby, as well as the Zubia and Easo meeting rooms, restoring and updating the marble floors, tapestries, mural decorations, and monumental curtains. In the second phase of this project, he undertook the renovation of the gym and the Ibaia meeting room, which can accommodate up to 280 guests — a Belle Époque–style hall featuring high ceilings, columns with gilded Corinthian capitals, and bronze and glass chandeliers.
His deep knowledge of classical restoration techniques, combined with his restless pursuit of new materials, has also led him to design all the wall finishes for the Dior boutiques in Madrid, Mexico City, and Guadalajara (Mexico). Goikoetxea’s approach always revolves around the idea of using surfaces as colossal canvases, bringing out the full potential of the space.
Víctor Goikoetxea
Tel.: +34 688 620 554
Photograph: Hotel María Cristina.
