The Haute Living Connection: A Career-Defining Relationship with Renowned Artist Domingo Zapata

Domingo Zapata is no stranger to Haute Living, we go way back. The Spanish contemporary artist is celebrated for his vibrant, graffiti-infused works that blend sexuality, pop culture, and personal mythology into a bold visual language all his own. From early exhibitions across Europe, spanning venues from Palazzo da Mula to major international galleries, to now his recent collaboration with Clive Perfums. Zapata has been exploring themes of identity, memory, and self-expression with fearless spontaneity since 2005.

Back in 2011, Zapata painted 24 Haute Living feature covers, a collaboration he credits as pivotal to his career.

“Without Haute Living, I don’t think I’d be in the same place I am today,” Zapata reflects. “They opened hundreds of doors for me, helping with shows, exhibitions, and so much more.”

One of the most iconic moments in that shared history came in 2012 at the legendary Chateau Marmont, The storied Hollywood hideaway known for its discretion, creative freedom, and deep ties to art, film, and music history. Perched above Sunset Boulevard, the Chateau has long served as a sanctuary for legendary figures such as Marilyn Monroe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Lennon and more. Making it the perfect backdrop for Zapata’s work to take center stage. The exhibition, attended by Hollywood luminaries including Johnny Depp, quickly became a cultural touchstone.

“I was living and working at the Chateau Marmont at the time, and that event was a turning point in my career,” Zapata recalls. “Johnny Depp showing up was a complete surprise, and Haute Living played a huge role in making it all happen. It was a magical moment, and we actually documented a lot of it on film.”

Iconic isn’t a hyperbole here, Zapata is quite literally entering the history books with his work included in the release of the Chateau Marmont’s new book.

Long before the glamour, Zapata’s path to becoming a full-time artist took shape in an entirely different world. After studying political science and art history, he began his professional life in marketing financial products on Wall Street. Yet painting was never far from his reach.

“I always had a small studio in my house, and my paintings even hung in my office,” he says.

A chance encounter would soon change everything.

“A friend, Agatha Herrero, saw my work and helped put it in front of the right people, he explains. “That’s when I realized I could actually pursue art full-time.”

That leap of faith led to his first gallery representation, and eventually to what the world now knows as Domingo Zapata. His work soon found homes with collectors ranging from Hollywood celebrities to fellow artists, cementing his place in the contemporary art world.

Over time, the boundary between the artist and the individual has gradually dissolved. Not completely vanishing, but rather merging.

“Once you reach a certain point in your career, you become the character,” Zapata explains. “I am Domingo Zapata, the artist, whether I’m at a gallery opening or buying bread at the local market. It’s inseparable.”

He embraces that identity with equal parts gratitude and humility.

“Life is a dream for me,” he says. “I didn’t plan any of this, but I worked hard, stayed disciplined, and followed my instincts. The most important thing is to never stop dreaming and believing in yourself.”

Zapata’s work is a kaleidoscope of mediums, oil, acrylic, collage, graffiti, and handwritten text, each chosen with intention. Despite their variety, his pieces feel unmistakably cohesive.

“I work in themes,” he explains. “Whether it’s pandas, matadors, or polo horses, each subject dictates the medium. If I want something more realistic, I’ll use oil. If I want something raw and immediate, I’ll turn to spray paint.”

His use of text adds a deeply intimate layer to his work, with confessional words scrawled across canvases that are anything but silent.

“Sometimes it’s just a single word or a short phrase that comes to me while I’m painting. It feels like a confession, I guess that’s my Catholic upbringing, you know, I I have to always find a way to feel guilty,” he chuckles.

Luxury is another recurring motif in Zapata’s world, though his relationship with it is layered.

“Opulence can be tacky,” he muses, “but it can also be incredibly beautiful.”

Living on the eighth floor of a hotel in Dubai, complete with a private studio and gallery, Zapata quite literally inhabits the luxury he often interrogates.

“I call it Casa Zapata, or Hotel Zapata,” he jokes. “It’s part of the hotel, but it’s my floor. Friends and clients come to stay, and it becomes a fully immersive experience.”

At 51, Zapata shows no signs of slowing down. With a career spanning continents, industries, and artistic disciplines, he continues to push forward — fueled by discipline, instinct, and belief.

“I have more faith in myself now,” he says. “The more you create, the more you discover. There’s no perfect painting, just like there’s no perfect article. But the more you do, the closer you get to something extraordinary.”

Zapata’s success is rooted not just in talent, but in discipline. From waking up at 5 a.m. to paint, showing up for his family and dreams, and allowing creation to exist before perfecting it. Through relentless exploration of emotion and experience, he continues translating life onto canvas — not to explain it, but to make sense of it all.