Roberta González (Paris, France, 1909 – Paris, France, 1976) was a Franco-Spanish painter and illustrator whose work bridged figuration and abstraction, offering a deeply personal and introspective response to the evolving artistic movements of the 20th century. The daughter of Julio González, a pioneering sculptor of modern ironwork, and later the wife of Hans Hartung, a leading figure in Lyrical Abstraction, González developed an independent artistic language that resisted categorization, blending elements of Surrealism, Cubism, and expressive figuration.
Raised in the artistic milieu of Montparnasse, she studied at the Académie Colarossi before exhibiting at the Salon des Surindépendants in the 1930s. Her work was profoundly shaped by the Spanish Civil War and World War II, during which she explored themes of loss, displacement, and resilience. In the postwar years, she exhibited widely in Paris, Madrid, Tokyo, and Munich, refining a practice that juxtaposed geometric structure with organic form, balancing elements of stability and movement, melancholy and intensity.
González’s later years were marked by a bold use of color and architectural form, influenced by her time in the South of France, where she designed a modernist villa-studio. She was also a dedicated cultural advocate, playing a key role in preserving and promoting her father’s legacy. Her works are held in institutions including the Centre Pompidou, IVAM Valencia, and the Fondation Hartung-Bergman. Long overlooked, her legacy is now being reassessed as a vital contribution to modern art, offering a unique perspective on hybrid identities, artistic independence, and the intersection of war and creativity.
