FTN-blog

  In 1965, he traveled to France with his second Cuban wife as an invitee to the Paris Biennale that year, and they decided to stay, residing in the Casa de Cuba at the Cité Internationale. His works were exhibited at the Salon de la Jeune Peinture in Paris in 1967 and 1968. In his final year, he received the First Prize at the I Lignano Biennale (Italy) for his work “Science au service de l’Homme.”

After exhibiting several pieces at the Sorbonne during the events of May ’68, a few months later the couple managed to obtain permission from Cuban authorities to allow their young daughters Magda and Siena to leave the country, and they settled on Boulevard Saint-Jacques, where they fixed up the studio that he would work in until the end.

Following his early Parisian works, French art critic Alain Jouffroy described him in Opus International issue n.18 (June 1970) as:

“creator of a highly powerful work, which allows us to admire its irresistible ascent. His latest works, depicting movement as the theme and eroticism as the subject, bring us into a raw intimacy where the clumsiness of bodies in love is only topped by their frenzy, their dominant violence.”

www.ftn-books.com has now the Galerie Tallien catalog from 1973 available.

Once introduced to the art of painting at the studio of Juan Bonafé (1901-1969) in La Alberca, Albacete went on to further hone his craft by studying Fine Arts and Architecture in Valencia and Madrid.

His early creations flirted with the intellectual pursuit of Conceptual Art and the bold and vibrant expression of Pop Art, ultimately culminating in a deliberate return to painting in the late 1970s. Embracing a distinct and definitive style heavily influenced by an exacting use of color and a systematic approach to brushwork, he held his premier solo exhibition at Galería Chys in Murcia in 1972.

One of Albacete’s distinct approaches to his art is his fondness for working in themed series, each of which he methodically explores. Notable among these series are those centered on bathers, the painter himself, the city of Vienna, and the mythological figure of Narcissus. In the mid-1980s, his utilization of structured geometric patterns gave way to a heightened emphasis on light and shadow, as well as an increased incorporation of symbolic motifs. While consistently drawing on figurative elements, the early 1990s saw a shift in Albacete’s focus as he delved into a more experimental and introspective exploration of the space within his paintings and the concepts that surround it.

In 1988, the Museo Español de Arte Contemporáneo hosted the first retrospective of Albacete’s work, which in subsequent years has become prized and preserved in esteemed collections and museums both in Spain and abroad.

www.ftn-books.com has the Barcelona Maeght exhibition catalog from 1993 now available.

Marcel Vertes was a Hungarian/French artist born in 1895 and passed away in 1961. He was an exceptional painter, printmaker, and illustrator of the 20th century. Vertes relocated from his birthplace of Hungary to Paris during World War I. He resided and worked in the famous Quartier Latin, alongside prominent artists such as Boutin, Forain, and Toulouse-Lautrec. The art of Marcel Vertes reached its pinnacle in the 20th century, focusing on scenes of street life in Paris, portraits of women, and depictions of circus and cabaret acts. Vertes left behind a legacy of original lithographs and drawings that excellently captured the spirit of 1920s Paris.

An enigmatic aura surrounds the oeuvre of acclaimed artist Marcel Vertes, a Hungarian-French mastermind born in 1895 and departing this world in 1961. A versatile virtuoso of the twentieth century, Vertes dabbled in painting, printmaking, and illustrating with unparalleled skill. Amid the tumultuous years of the Great War, Vertes left his homeland of Hungary to seek solace in the vibrant streets of Paris. Settling in the illustrious Quartier Latin, he immersed himself in the company of renowned artists such as Boutin, Forain, and Toulouse-Lautrec. However, it was in the roaring twenties that Vertes’ art reached its zenith. His focus lay in capturing the essence of Parisian street life, portraying the beauty of women, and illustrating the mesmerizing world of circus and cabaret. The legacy of Marcel Vertes continues to thrive through his collection of original lithographs and drawings, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of the dazzling city of Paris.

www.ftn-books.com has the 1956 DOCUMENTS publication now available.

For me, when we finally had discovered it, it is now an absolute must visit in the Alsace region. Combine this with the Beyeler, Kunstmuseum Basel and the Modern art museum in Strasbourg and you will have seen 3 of the most importan modern art collections in the world.

Musée Würth

Reinhold Würth’s passion for art collecting, spanning almost six decades, encompasses an impressive 500-year scope of art history, encompassing works from the late Middle Ages to the present day. Delve into this remarkable collection, and you will discover Southern German Renaissance portraits alongside examples of courtly grandeur and exquisite craftsmanship. Admire the collection of hand-painted posters promoting a traditional Italian puppet theater, known as the “Opera dei Pupi,” along with international Christmas nativity scenes. Additionally, marvel at the captivating arrangements of works by renowned artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Max Ernst, and the iconic duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

The late Impressionist and Expressionist movements first ignited Reinhold Würth’s passion for art collecting. From there, he expanded his collection to include classic abstract art, particularly from the École de Paris, and figurative works from the 1960s and 1970s. Exhibitions also play a vital role in inspiring and enriching his collection, providing an opportunity to explore new artistic expressions from various nations, such as Austria, Mexico, and Poland.

The collection also proudly boasts works by exceptional artistic personalities, including Georg Baselitz, Fernando Botero, David Hockney, and Alex Katz. Sculptures of the highest caliber can also be found, represented by artists such as Horst Antes, Hans Arp, Max Bill, Anthony Caro, Eduardo Chillida, Tony Cragg, Richard Deacon, Antony Gormley, Alfred Hrdlicka, and Marc Quinn, among many others.

At this moment the Wurth museum is closed but will be open again soon.

Jaap de Vries was a Dutch painter who alternately lived and worked in Breda and London. In addition to paintings and watercolours, he also made films, photographs and sculptures.

The human body and the landscape are a representation of his ideas about loneliness, violence and decay. His use of watercolour on aluminium creates an eerie and ethereal atmosphere in his work. Painting, for him, is about creating space for the shadows within us, for the world of desires tainted by fears.

He enjoys experimenting with various materials and continuously develops his own techniques. At times, he cuts with a stanley knife, while other times, De Vries wipes the pigment off the aluminium surface with a warm washcloth. Through my imperfect portraits, I create a metaphor for the real experience. It is the paint itself that inflicts wounds, apparently, its blood flowing ability capable of doing the same as real cutting, and a face is still able to speak and torture us with the question of what experience lies behind it, and apparently, paint alone can carry that power.

When he turned his attention from human anatomy to nature a few years ago, he was looking for a positive counterpart. His starting point was a boring patch of forest, with the intention of creating an intriguing image through the technique of depiction. “I wouldn’t want to walk through that forest,” a colleague said when he saw one of the paintings. This was an important statement for him: while he needed the drama of depiction in human anatomy to achieve his desired goal, in these paintings, he could display the violence of depiction through the depiction of a few innocent trees.