Manu Campa largely attributes his success to luck. “Well, for me this is success,” he tells us with a broad smile that reveals the child who used to marvel at an orange Porsche 911 model. One just like the real-size version he keeps in his Madrid workshop, where we interviewed him on the occasion of the Formula 1 Grand Prix TAG Heuer Spain 2026. These days, Madrid is the epicenter of speed and adrenaline and, as official sponsor and title partner, TAG Heuer has unveiled a new collection of five watches, in addition to a limited edition of 60 units that is sold only in our country, whose packaging has been designed by the Spanish artist, known for a form of optimistic realism closely tied to motorsport.
The Madrid-born artist describes himself as “very stubborn” when it comes to giving his paintings a narrative and a playful approach: “I entered the world of automobiles through scale models and little toys.” To honor that journey, in his figurative works many cars appear with a plastic wrap or tape on top, so that the scale is clearly evident. He also sometimes gives them the look of stickers, reminiscent of the ones we used to pile up in our school folders as kids.
Campa draws inspiration from classic photography—he has influences from Richard Estes, but also from Hopper or Sorolla—yet at the same time pays tribute to his childhood—and everyone’s—with these details that have won over collectors and patrons worldwide. “I stray far from presenting my work in a complicated way; what I seek is to normalize that a painting can attract you for any reason, even a naïve or visceral one.” He always has about forty paintings waiting in the wings and works with a routine to be an artist—“from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., non stop”—, he tells us—and he insists that he has enjoyed the journey very patiently. “I have never rushed to discover my style, and when I entered the motor universe, by buying a classic car and seeing that I enjoyed this… that’s where it all started,” explains Manu to Condé Nast Traveler, fresh from San Francisco and already preparing for the Pan-American Highway, in which he will participate with four friends.
Over these years, the painter has forged friendships with people in the world of motorsport: “I come from meeting Álex Palou, a very lovely person; I’ve had the same with Marc Márquez or Fabio Quartararo, with whom I have also connected very well. They are approachable, charismatic, cheerful. I love meeting people like that.” He has been an ambassador of TAG Heuer for years and a artistic collaborator of the brand in Spain. He has participated in launches and events, creating works live and interpreting from painting the shared universe of the brand and motor racing. These days he will paint live during the Grand Prix, to the delight of his admirers, many of whom come from Miami and Mexico City, the cities that have marked him most in recent years.
