In 1953, born in Malaga into a family of engineers, Manuel Franquelo studied Engineering and Fine Art at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid before starting to paint ten hyperrealist still lifes which took him 10 years.

In the 90s, Franquelo began to become more fascinated with the concept of using scientific photography and his skill in engineering in his work. This led to Franquelo’s collaboration with the artist Adam Lowe to found the Factum Arte studio which focuses on the preservation and reconstruction of fragile pieces of art that are of cultural and historical importance. Franquelo’s work on the Tombs of the Kings in Egypt gained him notoriety.

More recently, Franquelo has gained attention by using a 3D laser scanner that prints onto metal surfaces. The Things in a Room exhibition showed how this extreme use of science further blurs the distinction between what is fake and real.

Franquelo has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants including: the Etching National Prize at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts, Madrid; Penago Drawing Award and the Eusebio Sempere Drawing Award, Alicante, Spain; Antonio del Rincón National Drawing Award, Guadalajara, Spain; and the National Drawing Award at the Autumn Biennal of Art, Madrid. Franquelo’s work is included in an array of prestigious collections, such as: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Madrid, Spain; Museo Electrográfico de Cuenca, Spain; The Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum, Nagasaki, Japan; Fundación BBVA, Madrid, Spain; The Royal Photographic Society, Bath, U.K.