The Telefónica Art Collection Luis Fernández, Magritte, Delvaux y Matta

Fundación Telefónica opens its 2003-04 exhibit season with the collection, Key Pieces from the Telefónica Art Collection, a selection of it leading pieces, with works from Luis Fernánadez, Magritte, Delvaux, and Matta.

The exhibit is divided into two parts: a close-up look at the work of Asturian-born artist Luis Fernández on the upper floor, and the surrealist side of the collection on the lower floor, under the epigraph of "the Surrealist Constellation". It offers the viewing public the opportunity to see the work of one of the fundamental names in Telefónica’s Contemporary Art Collection, as well as three anthological pieces in surrealism: La Belle Societé, by René Magritte; L’appel, by Paul Delvaux; and Morphologie Psychologique, by Roberto Matta.

LUIS FERNÁNADEZ: ABSTRACTS, STILL LIFES, SKULLS AND ANIMALS

On the upper floor of the exhibit the visitor can see a significant sample of the paintings of Luis Fernández (Oviedo, Spain, 1900-1973), with ten pieces painted from 1926 to 1965. He was orphaned early in life, which left him free to make an enormous life decision, to move to Paris, in 1924. There he began to involve himself with the new tendencies that were dominating the pictorial art scene, geometric abstraction and surrealism.

In the nineteen-forties he began to work methodically with a rigorous creative process that would culminate in the following series: Skulls, still lifes in the iconographic tradition of vanitas; Roses, within the post-cubist school; Marinas, an interpretation of nature at its most elemental; and Animals, such as pigeons, horses or rabbits, which carry broad symbolism in the western world. His early pictorial work uses light as its constructive element, with the silent and solemn sense of stillness.

THE SURREALIST COMPONENT: MATTA, DEVAUX AND MAGRITTE

On the lower floor of the exhibit the public can admire three pieces of great artistic weight by three of the most significant surrealist painters of the last century. On display are Morphologie Psychologique (1938-39), by Roberto Matta; L’appel (1944), by Paul Delvaux, and La Belle Societé (1965-66), by René Magritte.

René Magritte (Lessines, Belgium, 1898 – Brussels, 1967) is one of the most important figures in surrealism. He moved to Paris in 1927, where he connected with Breton, Eluard and the surrealist group. His paintings with their purified technique place confusing visions before the viewer, mixing real and illusion in an overwhelming game of the imagination. Mixing everyday scenes with common objects (something he learned from Max Ernst) is achieved with the simple technique of flat backgrounds and light colors. He varies the sizes and perspectives which he presents, making the combinations between the artistic language and the nature of the objects more complex. With this new figurative art Magritte becomes the master of a style of art whose totally objective appearance provokes the greatest of surprises and unease.

Paul Delvaux (Antheit, Belgium, 1897 – Veurnes, Belgium, 1994) began his artist career painting almost exclusively landscapes, later moving on to practice a type of impressionist realism. In the nineteen-thirties a strong influence from Flemish expressionism was notable in his work. In the mid-1930´s he was already immersed in the world of surrealism, not as an orthodox member of the movement, but following the influences of the metaphysical painter, Giorgio De Chirico. Delvaux’s technique can seem almost academic, which contrasts with his person interest in the mysterious, and the personal dream-world he shaped in which the figure of woman is one of secrecy.

Roberto Matta (Santiago, Chile, 1911 – Civitavecchia, 2002) studied architecture in Santiago, Chile, but later moved to Europe in 1933 to work with Le Corbusier in Paris. In 1936 he moved to London, where he would work with Walter Gropius and Moholy-Nagy. However, it is at the end of the 1930’s and during the 40’s that he defined his vocation. Around this time he met Dalí and Breton. After seeing Matta’s drawings, they invited him to join their surrealist group. Thus began an intense exhibiting activity on Matta’s part, together with such heavy names as Picasso, Matisse and Leger. He also wrote for many of the surrealist group’s publications. By the end of the 1950's Matta was already a widely acclaimed artist who was showing his work at important exhibits in London, New York, Venice, Chicago, Rome, Washington and Paris.

Artists and pieces on exhibit:
Luis Fernández

Works by Luis Fernández belonging to the Contemporary Art Collection of Telefónica
Abstraction, 1926-28
Abstraction: La main de Michel Ange, c. 1934
Abstraction: La main de Michel Ange, c. 1934
Nature morte, c. 1951
Nature morte, c. 1951
Crâne, 1953-55
Chandelier, 1959
Cheval, 1961
Deux Pigeons, 1965
Deux Pigeons III, 1965

Surrealists
Roberto Matta, Morphologie Psychologique, 1938-39
Paul Delvaux, L’appel, 1944
René Magritte, La Belle Société, 1965-66

Exhibition