Painter and sculptor member of the so-called Cuenca school, Gustavo Torner began his training by studying engineering in Monte; however he abandoned this facet with the interest of dedicating himself professionally, for which he began a self-taught training. He made his first works in the forties, developing an aesthetic of figurative style, however it was not until 1956 when he began to work in a purely abstract language, within the informalist current, and with a clear tendency towards both textuality and lyricism. .

His work has been characterized by exploration, so throughout his career he has worked on various techniques such as painting, engraving, sculpture, drawing, collage, photography and graphic design. In addition to the fine arts, he has participated in various fields such as scenography, and has also collaborated with the design of spaces as significant as some rooms in the Prado Museum, the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca, some LOEWE stores, and as an advisor in the assembly of exhibitions for the Juan March Foundation.

For these reasons Torner has become one of the great artistic references of abstract art both nationally and internationally. An example of this are some of the awards he has received throughout his career, such as the Gran Cruz de Isabel La Catholic, the encomienda and the great cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise, the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, in addition to being a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.

Currently his work, praised by both critics and the public, is divided into important private collections and public spaces of great artistic interest, as well as in the Patio Herreriano de Valladolid, the MNCARS, the Municipal of Contemporary Art of Madrid, the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art of Cuenca, the Conde Duque cultural center and the Torner space, located in Cuenca and inaugurated in 2005.