Pantone (an alias derived from his graffiti moniker “Pant” or “Pant1”; he only later learned of the happy coincidence with the name of the color company) began illicitly painting on the streets of his hometown of Valencia, Spain, when he was twelve. After experimenting with numerous graffiti styles as a teenager and young adult, he found himself drawn to the Op and Kinetic art of the 1960s—especially the work of Carlos Cruz-Diez, Julio Le Parc, Luis Tomasello, and Victor Vasarely, all of whom are represented in the Albright-Knox’s collection—as a primary source of inspiration for his current imagery. While today Pantone also creates paintings and sculptures in a dedicated studio space, he finds himself continually drawn back to the unique energy of the street and the challenge of working outdoors and in public.