Chillida / Tàpies: Matter and Visual Thought
10.02.2001 - 06.02.2002
The work of two of the most outstanding Spanish artists of the second half of the twentieth century is presented in this exhibition. The sixteen pieces from the Permanent Collection span the past four decades, and have been executed in a wide variety of formats and techniques.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao's holdings of works by the Basque artist Eduardo Chillida (San Sebastián, 1924–2002), consist of two steel sculptures, Advice to Space V (Consejo al espacio V, 1993) and Embrace XI (Besarkada XI, 1996); a granite piece, Space for the Spirit (Espacio para el espíritu, 1995); and an alabaster work, How Profound is the Air (Lo profundo es el aire, 1996). In addition to these pieces, eight works from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum will contribute to the understanding of the different stages in Chillida's career.
Alongside the works of Chillida, there are four paintings by the Catalonian artist Antoni Tàpies (Barcelona, 1923–2012). Since the beginning of his career in the fifties, Tàpies has been characterized by the great emphasis he gives to the physical properties of the materials he uses. This interest in materiality is exemplified in Ambroisie (Ambrosia, 1989), a painting made up of two large panels in the collection of the Guggenheim Bilbao, as well as two additional pieces from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and another from the Tubacex Collection.
Eduardo Chillida
How Profound Is the Air (Lo profundo es el aire), 1996
Alabaster
94 x 122 x 124 cm
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa