Javier Calleja rose to art world prominence thanks to his instantly recognizable figurative works, which often feature wide-eyed characters with exaggerated proportions. The Spanish artist’s practice spans painting, sculpture, and works on paper, as well as editioned work and merchandise. Calleja has shown at galleries in Madrid, Barcelona, New York, Paris, and Hong Kong and other major cities. In 2021, Calleja’s secondary-market record broke $1 million for the first time, when his 2019 painting Waiting for a While sold for $1.1 million. Though he draws on personal experience and childhood memories to create his iconic characters, Calleja prefers not to explain his work, instead letting the observer “finish” the work with their own interpretations.