This article proposes to explore the relationships between art education and the development of complex thinking (proposed as metacompetence in this study) from a theoretical perspective. This is an approach that arises from contemporary conceptions about art, which is an intrinsic relationship between the artwork and the creative and critical character towards representation systems. Emphasising the definition of complex thinking proposed by Mathew Lipman serves as a guiding axis to try to establish the cognitive processes that compose it. Among the main findings is that the development of complex thinking and cognition occurs through action and interaction with the environment, thus linking to the notions of 'situated competence' and the 'complex approach to competences'. By including cognitive and metacognitive processes, it allows us to postulate complex thinking as metacompetence. In addition, it is proposed that the use of learning methodologies (under a competence-based approach) could contribute to an art education where students produce artistic works that involve critical, creative processes or divergent results. It is also necessary that both the curriculum and the teachers encourage an expanded and interdisciplinary vision, understanding that art is not circumscribed to a specific discipline.