IVAM makes the case for modern art

Valencia’s reputation for contemporary architecture is internationally acknowledged, its Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias a prime visitor attraction. However, on the modern art front it is IVAM (Institut Valencia d’Art Modern) that flies the flag.

This modern building with its characteristic clean lines stands on Calle de Guillem de Castro and owes its healthy visitor numbers partly to its very modest entrance fee, but mostly to its excellent exhibitions.

Recently there have been several notable displays. The Paradox of Coherence showcases the artistic obsessions of Bernar Venet, the US-based French conceptual artist whose extraordinary output encompasses such media as sculpture, photography and silkscreen. Although Venet has not confirmed the link, many art critics consider that his most obvious predecessor was Marcel Duchamp whose objets trouvés or readymades also blurred the boundaries between representation and abstraction.

The British artist, Julian Opie, is probably best known for his cartoonish, Warhol-esque portrait of the Britpop band, Blur, which appeared on their 2000 The Best of… album, but his talents extend far beyond the realm of album cover design. His attractive website proves an entertaining guide to Planet Opie, displaying examples of his painting, sculpture, computer animation (he seems to harbour the same fascination with movement that inspired Edweard Muybridge), multiples and music. If ever anyone deserved the honour of being dubbed a ‘Renaissance Man’ it is Julian Opie. His exhibition at IVAM will be remembered as a perfect showcase of this remarkable modern artist’s multitudinous talents.

IVAM celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ramón Gaya with their Homenaje a la Pintura (Homage to Painting), a memorable tribute to an important artist. Gaya matured early and involved himself in Spain’s Second Republic, most particularly the Teaching Missions. Later, like many of his compatriots, he was exiled, only returning to Spain in the final years of Franco’s dictatorship. Due to these unfortunate circumstances it was only in the 1980s that his work was recognised, but his name quickly grew in importance and it is easy to see why. His art, while never losing its essentially representational quality, displays influences from many genres, including impressionism and cubism. The IVAM exhibition featured 50 of Gaya’s most significant paintings, an affectionate homage to one of the country’s most important artists.

New post on at Monday, 26 July, 2010, 9:33 am and is archived in Art, Culture, Lifestyle. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or make a trackback from your web.