BIOGRAPHY: Juan Carlos Heras Vicario

Juan Carlos Heras Vicario was born in Madrid in 1961. From 1977 to 1979 he studied graphic arts at the vocational college of the FNMT, Spain’s state printers, in Madrid. In 1979 he started his career as a letterpress printer at the FNMT-RCM, becoming a technical assistant at the Department of Documents the year after. In 1989, he became an assistant artistic engraver at the same department.

In 1990, he got his degree in Fine Arts, specialising in intaglio engraving, at the Complutense University in Madrid.  In 1994, he became a full-blown artistic engraver, a position which he has held to this day.

His first known engraved stamp, though, dates from 1983, this being the 16p value from the Spanish stained glass windows issue. The FNMT does not usually divulge the names of their engravers for specific issues, rather attributing the engravings to ‘Team FNMT’, but thanks to personal correspondence and signed die proofs, it has been possible to create a fairly comprehensive list of Heras Vicario’s work.

As far as stamps are concerned, Heras Vicario only engraved Spanish stamps, with the odd issue for Spanish Andorra added as well. His banknote work, which he has been working on since the mid 1980s, is more geographically spread, with his work appearing on banknotes from countries as far away as Bolivia and the Dominican Republic. His private art consists largely of Madrid views.

From 2000 to 2003 Heras Vicario was a Professor of Engraving at the Engraver and Graphic Design School of the Casa de la Moneda in Madrid.

In 2010, the Government Postage Stamp Printers’ Association (GPSPA) awarded one of Heras Vicario’s stamps First prize in the category ‘Best Intaglio Stamp’. The stamp in question was the 32c value from the 2009 Scientists set of Spain, portraying Charles Darwin.

You will find Juan Carlos Heras Vicario's database HERE.