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26/3/2003

Oteiza

Haim Chanin Fine Arts, New York

'I look to Oteiza's work repeatedly. It interests me, it insists on my seriousness. Few works of art remain uncomfortable for very long, but three works gnaw at me. They convey a remoteness, an emptiness, an intensity of solitude. They place me in a predicament in relation to history for they are still conceptually advanced and they were made in 1957, 1958, 1959.

Homenaje al Padre Donosti, 1957
Caja Metafísica por Conjunción de dos Triedros, 1958-59
Homenaje al Estilema Vacío del Cubismo, 1959

The space realized in these works has no precedent. They convey a particular vastness derived from the whole. They are not closed solutions; but instead deal with problems so fundamental in invention that the work has moved other sculptors to repeat or to extend this syntax. Oteiza has discovered a self-evident language that others have found useful in ways not formally anticipated. In effect, the work continues to influence.'
Richard Serra

January 20, 2003, New York, NY - Haim Chanin Fine Arts has the pleasure of announcing an exhibition by Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza, on view from March 27 through May 31, 2003. This exhibition, the first of the legendary artist-philosopher in New York, features eleven geometric sculptures in alabaster and iron dating from the '50s and representative of the artist's most influential period. The show is complemented by a selection of collages that capture the artist's reductionist tendencies.

Jorge Oteiza is respected for his visionary explorations of three-dimensional space. His most transcendental body of work, gathered in 'Experimental Propositions,' earned him the 1957 International Sculpture Prize in the IX São Paulo Bienal, along Morandi and Ben Nicholson. Oteiza pushed spatial exploration to the limits; beyond Moore, he departed from the conception of sculpture as a solid body. He intended to capture the Void, the immaterial, by emptying the space of mass. This master's search to grasp an impalpable space grew from his strong spirituality, from his desire to grasp the essence of the Universe, the primordial black hole.

Oteiza's influence on contemporary sculpture is due not solely to his body of work but to his extensive philosophical writings. In the 30s and 40s he traveled throughout the Americas contributing significantly to the local artistic discourse by bridging conceptually the production of Modern sculpture with archeology and pre-Colombian civilizations. Back in Spain, Oteiza's commitment to art as a way to promote a political conscience, even in times of Franco, made him a controversial figure. In 1959 he considered his sculptural labor done. He continued his work as an educator and philosopher, founding many schools dedicated to three-dimensional and architectural exploration. In the '60s, together with Chillida, he was the originator of the group GAUR, which sought to develop a true Basque aesthetic language.

Oteiza has also contributed significantly to architecture and monumental public art, still visible in numerous churches, public buildings and squares throughout Spain, such as the project for Plaza Colón in Madrid and his religious statuary at the Basílica de Arantzazu. In 1992 Oteiza donated his complete works to the government of Navarra, which founded the Oteiza Foundation to preserve his oeuvre and extend his legacy.

At 94, Oteiza continues to challenge us. He expressed reservations towards Frank O. Gehry's architectural proposal for Guggenheim Bilbao and, when asked to mount a solo exhibition in the said museum, he refused. In spite of this, and during their meeting in 1997 for the inauguration of the museum, both Frank O. Gehry and Richard Serra expressed their admiration for Oteiza, the latter considering him the best sculptor alive.

Among the numerous honors Oteiza received are the first prize in the Spanish National Competition (1949), a Diploma of Honor in the IX Triennial of Milan (1951), the National Architecture Prize for a project at Capilla de Santiago (1954), the First Prize in the Competition for the design of Colón Square in Madrid, the Gold Medal in Fine Arts from the Spanish Ministry of Culture (1985), the Príncipe de Asturias Prize in the Arts (1988), named Doctor honoris causa in Arts and Philosophy (1992), which he refuses, the Pevsner Prize (1996), and the Medal of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid (1998). Oteiza's work has been exhibited in such prestigious institutions as Gres Gallery, Washington, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Bilbao, Musée d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, Musée d' Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Modern Art Museum of Troyes, France, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (commissioned to do a sculptural piece), and MACBA, Barcelona (1998).

Haim Chanin Fine Arts is located at 210 Eleventh Avenue, 2nd floor, between 24th and 25th Streets, in the heart of New York's Chelsea art district.
Dominique Haim Chanin, founder and director of Haim Chanin Fine Arts, introduces an ambitious international contemporary program to the New York art world by premiering established artists from Europe and Latin America in her gallery. Following the exhibition by Jorge Oteiza, Haim Chanin Fine Arts will present works by Ofelia Rodriguez, from June 4 to July 19, 2003.

Fully illustrated catalogue, with essays by Richard Serra, Juan Ignacio Vidarte and Margit Rowell.

Haim Chanin Fine Arts
210 Eleventh Avenue, Suite 201
New York, New York 10001
T. 646 230 7200
F. 646 230 7989

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