The ”la Caixa” Foundation inaugurates an exhibition dedicated to 20th-century Spanish art at the Spanish Embassy in Berlin

The exhibition constitutes the first initiative under a strategic agreement between the ”la Caixa” Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation to promote Spanish artistic creation in Spanish embassies.

The Ambassador of Spain to Berlin, Pascual Navarro; the Deputy General Manager and Director of Corporate Affairs of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, Sergi Loughney; and the Head of Content for the ArtHub and Collection Department of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, Óscar Pina, have today inaugurated in Berlin the exhibition Fragments, Quotations and Passages. Spanish Artists in the ”la Caixa” Foundation Contemporary Art Collection (1940–1976).

The exhibition brings together 15 paintings and sculptures by Spanish artists and offers a journey through some of the main movements and figures of post-war Spanish art, including Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies and Eduardo Chillida. All the works belong to the ”la Caixa” Foundation Contemporary Art Collection and have been selected both for their quality and for the significance of their creators.

The inauguration held today in Berlin, which was also attended by the Assistant General Manager of Culture and Regional Action of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, Rafael Chueca, marks the first public presentation of the agreement signed between the ”la Caixa” Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation to promote the international dissemination of Spanish culture across various Spanish diplomatic venues. Within this framework, Berlin becomes the starting point of a travelling programme that aims to strengthen Spain’s cultural dialogue through contemporary art.

Post-war Spanish art to the 1970s

Fragments, Quotations and Passages offers a journey through the movements and figures that renewed Spanish art from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s, a period that preceded the creation of the ”la Caixa” Foundation Contemporary Art Collection in 1985.

The itinerary begins with paintings by Joan Ponç and Modest Cuixart, members of the Dau al Set group, one of the first collectives to break away from official art with a sensibility close to Surrealism.

The exhibition continues with The Kiss (Maternity) (1951) by Eudald Serra, a pioneering figure in post-war sculptural avant-garde, and moves onward with Alborada (1952), an outstanding example of the abstract work of Pablo Palazuelo.

The exhibition also brings together works by members of the El Paso group and representatives of Catalan Informalism such as Luis Feito, Martín Chirino, Manuel Millares, Gustavo Torner and Antoni Tàpies – artists who made a decisive contribution to the international recognition of Spanish art. The display also includes sculptures of a markedly abstract nature and unmistakable personal style, which helped to restore artistic modernity in Spain, such as those by Jorge Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida.

The itinerary concludes with Joan Miró’s painting Vers l’évasion (1972), a work that exemplifies the artist’s distinctive visual language. Alongside it, the sculpture Menina-Miró (1976) by Equipo Crónica reinterprets one of Velázquez’s famous figures using motifs inspired by the Mironian universe.

Presentation at various Spanish Embassies

Fragments, Quotations and Passages can be visited until 18 October by prior request for small groups, including academic and educational collectives, and will also be open to attendees of official events and receptions organised by the Embassy.

Following its presentation in Berlin, the exhibition will travel from autumn onwards to other Spanish embassies, yet to be determined.

The ”la Caixa” Foundation and its commitment to contemporary art

The collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation reaffirms the ”la Caixa” Foundation’s commitment to artistic excellence and the dissemination of cultural heritage.

This commitment is reflected in the ”la Caixa” Foundation Contemporary Art Collection, created in 1985. A collection with more than forty years of history that will soon be complemented by a new flagship space, the ArtHub, conceived for the conservation, study and dissemination of its works.

With close to 1,100 works and a clear international focus, it brings together artists such as Gerhard Richter, Antoni Tàpies, Juan Muñoz, Cindy Sherman, Doris Salcedo and Mona Hatoum. Considered one of the most significant private collections in Europe, it supports both its own projects and collaborations with major museums and cultural institutions.

The ”la Caixa” Foundation is one of the leading philanthropic institutions in Europe, committed to social progress and cultural development. Through its social, educational, research and cultural programmes, it promotes an accessible and inclusive culture, conceived as a key tool for creating opportunities and strengthening social cohesion.