THREE GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS
He was born in Los Yébenes on November 20, 1912, and died on January 10, 1996.
With barely any schooling, and as a result of his father's untimely death, he began working at a very young age as a journeyman with his brother Félix in the blacksmith shop, the only family business, which he would later take over after my uncle's retirement until its closure in 1965.
This happened when, having completed his high school studies, he decided to stay by his side to develop the taxidermy work he had learned by correspondence and, stealing hours from sleep and rest, carried out in an abandoned stable converted into a makeshift workshop.
Thus began a period full of hope and clear horizons, in which tenacity in learning prevailed over any economic temptation, resulting in a secure career, gradually transforming a little-regarded trade with a dubious future into a dignified and, to this day, stable job.
Of his many qualities, two stand out. One was professional and the other human. The first was his patience. He was meticulous in his work. He would repeat a flawed project with the same enthusiasm with which he began it. He enjoyed overcoming difficulties, and if he ever lost, his response was resignation. He turned every minute of work into an hour of celebration and leisure.
Humility has been, at least for him, what he most admired about his father. His political views were conservative, but he is proud to have been the son of a good man, like no other, who was born poor, lived poor, and died poor, although, nevertheless, rich in friends, companionship, and respect.
He grew up with him and played with him. From his side, he learned to hunt. Under his tutelage, he fell in love and, with his help, married. His grandchildren, who continued his workshop, grew up at his side. He felt the emptiness of her absence and looked back in search of hope. In search of his children.
JUAN GAROZ PEDRAZA
FOUNDER
He was born in Los Yébenes on September 30, 1947, into a humble family whose head, his father, dedicated himself with great success to the noble trade of blacksmithing. In his spare time, almost always at night or on holidays, he did small taxidermy jobs, learned by correspondence.
After completing his high school studies, he refused to work at the Banco Español de Crédito and chose to continue working alongside his father, beginning his journey in this exciting profession that produces so many moments of distress (some) and joy (others).
After the post-war period, an economic resurgence began in Spain, which was immediately reflected in the world of hunting, making it a fashionable sport.
The support that the government offered to hunting made taxidermy work well-regarded by the people and made possessing any naturalized trophy a source of good taste. Unlike today, when environmental pressures seek to portray taxidermy as responsible for the scarcity of certain species.
Hunting exhibitions, therefore, enjoyed widespread publicity and media coverage, quite the opposite of today's, which give the impression of being clandestine.
At the age of eighteen, at the Olive Festival Float Competition in Mora de Toledo, he presented a "Wild Boar Grip," winning First Prize. It was later installed in the Hunting Museum at the Riofrío Palace in Segovia, after having been exhibited at the Madrid Country Fair thanks to the support of Mr. José Lara Alem, then Chief Engineer of the State Forestry Heritage in Toledo.
JUAN GAROZ SEVILLA
CEO 1957 -1995
Born in 1978 and 1974, respectively, they became artists, becoming familiar with sculptural culture from a very young age thanks to their father, Juan Garoz. He was a sculptor-taxidermist with a long career, to whom his father also introduced him. From a young age, sculpture has been a part of their lives, and they work together in a taxidermy and sculpture studio in their hometown of Los Yébenes.
Their village lies nestled among the mountains, where they seek inspiration, just as they do on the highest peaks around the world. They began their sculptural knowledge by studying animal morphology with the help of their father. Through their profession, they seek the mysteries hidden in those animals, which they capture with the passion of a true hunter. Due to their thirst for adventure, they strive to find that gesture that characterizes all their works, seeking to create a bond between the animal and the artist with an intense emotional connection. Their travels across the five continents, alongside their hunter-friends, make possible this search for emotions that fill the artists with the courage to give shape to this creature, with the intention of leaving it forged for posterity. The artists acknowledge that they meticulously observe each animal "in situ," seeking the future mental image they will shape in their study.
Their short artistic career, which today begins with small-format animal-themed works, nevertheless, in the not-so-distant past, since they were children, has been taught the art of sculpting by their father and other sculptors, in addition to their studies in Fine Arts. Not to be forgotten is their work as a taxidermist, where they have cultivated an exhaustive anatomical study of all the world's animals.
JUANJO GAROZ Y RAMON GAROZ
CEOS 1995 - 2025