Picasso and Dalí top 2015
The two leading lights of 20th century modern art promises to be the exhibition of the year in Barcelona
Picasso and Dalí are the focus of an exhibition this spring that promises to become Barcelona's show of the year. On March 19, the Museu Picasso opens an exhibition that can only currently be seen in the Dalí Museum in Florida. Picasso/Dalí, Dalí/Picasso traces the careers of the two artistic geniuses side-by-side, exposing their similarities as well as their differences. Hard though it is to believe, no exhibition has yet jointly explored the two leading lights of 20th century modern art who, despite their mutual admiration, allowed their bouts of rivalry to turn into alienation due to the huge ideological gulf that separated them.
The exhibition lines up as one of 2015's main cultural events, and long queues can be expected along carrer Montcada in Barcelona. Despite plenty of other artistic highlights in store this spring, until well into February there is little new to report on gallery schedules. Yet that gives art-lovers a chance to take full advantage of the current winter calendar before it ends, such as Sebastião Salgado's images of savage nature in CaixaForum (until February 8), the disturbing avant-garde photos of Antoni Arissa in the CCCB (until April 12), MNAC's display of the work of one of Catalonia's most promising artists, Carles Casagemas, whose career was cut short by suicide (until February 22), Carol Rama in Macba (until February 22) or Rusiñol's passion for El Greco in the Fundació Godia (until February 2).
February
Among the first galleries to welcome 2015 with new exhibitions in January was the Fundació Suñol, with its Italian project, I sei sensi, packed with Italian works from the gallery's collection. Meanwhile, Macba is showing the art work of Osvaldo Lamborghini, one of Latin America's singular 20th century literary voices in an exhibition that began on January 30. However, things get going this month, with CaixaForum leading the way on February 6 with an exhibition dedicated to the work of animation studio, Pixar, on its 25th anniversary. This month also sees the start of a new exhibition in the Fundació Tàpies on February 27, with the disturbing work of Austrian painter Maria Lassnig, who died last year at the age of 94, on display until the end of May. Also, the Fundació Suñol will begin its monographic exhibition of Miquel Mont, who has lived in Paris for over two decades, on February 13 until the end of April.
March
The rate of new shows picks up even more in March. Though most attention will be focused on the Picasso/Dalí exhibition mentioned above, CaixaForum will have a fascinating display of pre-Columbian Peruvian art in the exhibition Art mochica de l'antic Perú, which begins on March 6. La Pedrera begins a retrospective of influential 20th century Catalan photographer and advertising visionary, Leopoldo Pomés, while from March 10, the CCCB will focus on the legacy of German writer W.G. Sebald, who died in a car accident in 2001 and whose books explored some of the key issues of the 20th century just as it was coming to an end.
March will also be the month to visit the Fundació Miró, which on March 13 begins a reflection on the concept of Europe called Prophetia, while La Virreina will start its retrospective of that icon of Spanish contemporary art, Sophie Calle. Finally, the Can Framis museum of Catalan contemporary painting will have an exhibition of the work of Manolo Ballesteros from March 9.
April
Moving into the start of spring, April features the talents of one of the most important photographers of the inter-war period, Gabriel Casas, in MNAC, which continues to diversify in terms of its exhibitions. April is also the month to explore the art of one of Catalonia's most personal sculptors, Sergi Aguilar, who is featured in an exhibition in Macba.
May
In May, CaixaForum brings the extensive artistic legacy of Alvar Aalto to the public attention in an exhibition of the work of this key figure of international avant-garde architecture and design from the 1920s to the 70s. At the same time, the Fundació Suñol will delve into José Guerrero's American period.
June
June looks to be a promising month with attention split between a new retrospective of Tàpies in the foundation of the same name, as well as the painting of Alfons Borrell in the Fundació Miró. MNAC, meanwhile, moves on to an exhibition of the artistic techniques used in Catalonia from the 1950s until the arrival of democracy in the 1970s. The CCCB will have an exhibition dedicated to the right to housing, whihle Macba, in-line with its new programming strategy, takes on the Arab world with an exhibition of works drawn from the archives and collections of the Arab Image Foundation.