Born in 1935 in Toledo, Spain, Rafael Canogar is one of the best known contemporary Spanish painters and printmakers. Between 1948 and 1953 he was a disciple of Daniel Vázquez Díaz and focused on the study of the avant-garde and evolved rapidly to abstract expressionism by 1954.

Canogar was a founding member of the Madrid based group El Paso (1957 - 1960), one of the first avant-garde movements in Spain under General Franco. The group promoted informalism, the importance of the gesture rather than geometry and the pre-eminence of the plasticity of raw materials rather than concept.

The El Paso group introduced abstraction to Spain and had a profound impact on European art that is still felt today. In 1960 he participated in the New Spanish Painting and Sculpture show at the MoMA New York.

He was awarded the grand prize at the San Paolo Biennial in 1971 and Spain's leading award in the arts, Premio Nacional de Artes Plasticas (1982).

Rafael Canogar lives and works in Madrid, Spain.