Foreign Affairs and La Caixa promote a program to fill the Spanish embassies in Europe with contemporary art

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albareshas signed this Thursday a strategic agreement with the ‘La Caixa’ Foundation to promote the international dissemination of Spanish artistic creation.

The agreement, according to the Albares department, will serve to bring the works of the Contemporary Art Collection of the ‘La Caixa’ Foundation closer to the Spanish embassies in the main European capitals.

The collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation reaffirms Minister Albares’ commitment to art and cultural dissemination, a commitment he shares with the ‘La Caixa’ Foundation, which is one of the main philanthropic entities in Europe, committed to social progress and cultural development.

The pact outlines a multi-year itinerant plan that will allow some of the most representative works of Spanish art to tour the different cities of Europe. The first exhibition will open in the coming months at the Spanish embassy in Berlin and can be visited until autumn.

This exhibition will focus on paintings and writings by Spanish creators of the 20th century, under the title ‘Fragments, quotes and passages. Contemporary Art Collection’ of the ‘La Caixa’ Foundation. After passing through Berlin, the exhibition will travel to the embassies in Paris, London and Brussels, respectively, with dates yet to be determined.

The itinerant exhibition has been planned applying efficiency and sustainability criteria in all phases of the project: from the selection of responsible materials to a modular design that optimizes resources and facilitates assembly at each venue.

Furthermore, the installation will be carried out with a small and specialized team of professionals, with Spanish assemblers and designers and some local technicians, to minimize travel and promote the economy of the environment.

‘FRAGMENTS, QUOTES AND PASSAGES’

The first exhibition resulting from this agreement is ‘Fragments, quotes and passages. Contemporary Art Collection’which includes pieces by Spanish artists present in the collections of important national and international museums that have been widely referenced in publications.

The itinerary begins with the work ‘Le lion’ (1925), by Joan Miró, an example of his initial forays into surrealism. It continues with paintings by Joan Ponç and Modest Cuixart, from the Dau al Set group, one of the first collectives to move away from official art with a sensitivity close to surrealism. The exhibition continues with the piece ‘The Kiss – Maternity’ (1951), by Eudald Serra, pioneer of the post-war sculptural avant-garde, and continues with works by members of the El Paso group and Informalism -Manuel Millares, Luis Feito, Martín Chirino, Gustavo Torner and Antoni Tàpies-, who were pioneers in the international recognition of Spanish art in the mid-20th century.

The exhibition also has paintings and sculptures of a markedly abstract and personal nature, such as those by Jorge Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida. The tour ends with the sculpture ‘Menina-Miró’ (1976), by Equipo Crónica, which embodies the vindictive and ironic side of the new European realism.