Page 14 - Boca Exposure - April '23

Page 14, Boca Exposure
Paintings By Latin American Master

Oswaldo Vigas At Boca Museum Of Art

The Boca Raton living in Paris during
Museum of Art is the 1950s and 1960s
currently exhibiting (especially Picasso,
Oswaldo Vigas: who encouraged Vigas
Paintings Between to reflect on notions
Latin America, Africa, of ancestry in his
and Europe (on view work). Vigas was the
through May 21), a first artist to represent
collection of works Venezuela at the Venice
by the Latin American A young Oswaldo Vigas with Picasso Biennale when its
master which he at the Spanish master’s studio, Villa national pavilion was
created in Paris in La Californie, near Cannes, South inaugurated in 1954,
the 1950s, and in of France, 1955 and again in 1962 to
Venezuela from 1969 organize the Venezuelan
to 1976. The exhibition is an homage to the artist by his se c t i o n . He wa s
son, the award-winning filmmaker Lorenzo Vigas – as an successful in France,
intimate lens through the eyes of their father-son relationship, where his works were El Alacrán (1952). Oil on canvas
honoring the launch of the new catalogue raisonné of his exhibited alongside
father’s work. The exhibition features several works that artists Jean Arp,
have never been exhibited before in the United States. The Chagall, Giacometti,
paintings are on loan from the Oswaldo Vigas Foundation. Laurens, Magritte,
One of Venezuela’s most prolific and influential painters Matisse and others.
of the 20th century, Oswaldo Vigas (1923 to 2014) was Vigas returned
recognized for his vision of the Americas. When interviewed permanently to
in the 1950s and 1960s, Vigas compared his art to his Venezuela after 12 years
birthplace: “The Americas are a cosmos. Our continent is because he passionately
full of dark signs and warnings: telluric signs and magic yearned to contribute
that are deep components of our condition. At the same time to his own country’s art
that they reveal something, these symbols also compromise scene by utilizing the
us in a disturbing world of effervescence. The intention of knowledge he gained
my painting is to reach them, interpret them, and translate in Europe. Some say
them into new warnings. My paintings are halfway between this move prevented
Latin America, Africa, and Europe.” Vigas is known for him from gaining the
his singular vision that takes inspiration from his pride international traction Hierática (1970). Oil on cardboard fixed on
in his Mestizo identity, alongside the history, mythology, of his contemporaries Orgánico (1969). Oil on canvas plywood
and ancient art of Venezuela, mixed with influences from in Paris from that era.
European modernism. This new exhibition at the Boca Raton Museum of Art and North American modernism. He dedicated his entire life
Vigas is celebrated as a towering figure of modernism is a labor of love for the artist’s son, Lorenzo, winner of the to creating art, and never stopped painting until the final day
in Latin America, with a career spanning seven decades. prestigious Golden Lion Award at the Venice International of his life,” adds Lorenzo.
His first solo exhibition in the United States was in 1958 Film Festival in 2015. He subsequently directed a 2016 Vigas’ work is represented in numerous institutions,
in Washington, D.C. Described as “an artist who bridged documentary about his father’s life entitled The Orchid including: the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the San
the gap between pre-Colombian iconography and the Seller (El Vendedor de Orquídeas) and was recently deeply Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Michigan State
experimental art movements of the 20th century,” Vigas involved in the creation of his father’s online catalogue University Art Museum; the Art Museum of the Americas,
received the International Association of Art Critics raisonné. “The film about my father asks us to reflect on the OAS, in Washington, D.C.; the Avon Collection, in New
Award twice (in 2008 and 2014), and was the recipient passage of time, the importance of memories, and above all York; in France – Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie
of the Latin Union Award in Washington, D.C. in 2004. on the origin of the impulse to create,” says Lorenzo. “My Contemporaine in Angers; Musée Des Beaux Arts D’Angers;
“For south Florida audiences, at the crossroads here of father’s art was always woven with the primeval roots of and Musée Des Beaux Arts in Reims; in Colombia – Museo
the contemporary Latin American experience, this new Latin American culture, yet he is no longer viewed merely de Arte Moderno; and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo El
presentation of the work of Oswaldo Vigas takes on a whole as a ‘Latin American artist’ – he is now acknowledged as a Minuto de Dios; in Peru – Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
new meaning at this time in American culture,” says Irvin modern universal artist. in Lima; in Chile – Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes; in
Lippman, the executive director of the Boca Raton Museum “Through his work, he reinstated our continent’s pre- Uruguay – Museo Ralli in Punta del Este; and in numerous
of Art. “We are thrilled to partner with the Oswaldo Vigas Columbian roots and African heritage with vibrant European important private collections worldwide.
Foundation, and to welcome the artist’s widow and son
to usher in the opening of this powerful exhibition,” adds
Lippman.
The new Oswaldo Vigas catalogue raisonné may
be viewed online at catalogue.oswaldovigas.com. The
catalogue was researched by the Oswaldo Vigas Foundation
with the support of Axel Stein, the former head of the
Latin American Art Department of Sotheby’s. The first
online catalogue raisonné of any Venezuelan artist, this
valuable resource will allow scholars, curators, collectors Upscale Resale
and the public to access information about the artist. The
catalogue includes over 3,000 paintings, gallery and museum Experience The Difference
history, and publications detailing the artist’s trajectory.
The catalogue provides a clear understanding about Vigas’ New and consigned furniture, unique lighting, accessories and gifts.
first works regarding his vision of the Americas, and his Complete wallpaper and fabric library for all your design needs.
period spent in Paris which resulted in his famous Central
University of Venezuela (UCV) murals (now listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage site), and the numerous works
he created before his death in Venezuela in 2014.
A self-taught painter and muralist, Vigas’s work includes
paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, ceramics and
tapestries. The artist was featured in more than 100 solo
exhibitions and is represented in numerous public institutions
and private collections around the world. He identified as
Mestizo, a South American term for a person of mixed
indigenous and Spanish heritage. As a child, he was keenly
interested in the pre-Colombian artifacts and petroglyphs in Call us to sell. See us to buy.
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