Xabier Santxotena was born into a family with a long tradition of craftsmen working with wood and he was drawn to sculpture from when he was very young. In 1970, he met Jorge Oteiza and he became one of his leading disciples. He then studied at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Arts and Crafts School, when he covered from the primitive to the refined, from natural to the polished. Right from his earliest work, he adopted the formula of the series of families of works. He has honoured poets, Basque pelota, menhirs, Gernika, Planetarium, Basoak and Irintzi. He has produced numerous unique pieces, such as fountains, waterfalls, outside sculptures in steel, cement or bronze for institutions or museums. He currently exclusively works on sculpture and poetry at his Artziniega studio (Álava).