The exhibition highlights the career of one of the key figures in Valencian comics and graphic design of the 20th century, offering a biographical and visual journey through Karpa's work. It includes reproductions from his time at Editorial Valenciana, as well as his characters and creations for the toy industry, with a special focus on the designs of the iconic Juegos Reunidos Geyper.
Curated by Carles Gómez Recatalà and Carlos Gómez Mechó, the proposal emphasizes the diversity of styles Karpa developed. The display brings together pieces in various formats, such as fifteen large-format canvases dedicated to his characters and designs, a space for institutional recognition, and a large cube puzzle that invites the public to interact with his iconography.
His style, marked by a confident stroke, clear narrative, and a clean, popular humor, defined children's comics of the post-war and transition periods, making him an essential reference for various generations of readers.
Rafael Miguel Català Lucas, born in Nules in 1926, trained at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos and quickly stood out as a central figure of the so-called Valencian School of comics. Concurrently, he developed a prolific activity in advertising, corporate identity, and visual communication, in addition to a pictorial body of work.
In 1992, the Generalitat Valenciana awarded him the Gold Medal for Cultural Merit. Karpa died in València in 2000, always maintaining a connection with his hometown. The exhibition, organized by the Institut Valencià de Cultura (IVC) and Artèria Gestió Cultural, is presented in Alaquàs with the collaboration of the Alaquàs City Council and the Universitat Politècnica de València.
