Events
Findings: Works from the Spanish Collection
14/10/2024 – 03/11/2024
Curators of the exhibition:
Vladimir Jancevski / Blagoja Varoshanec / Iva Petrova Dimovski
With the exhibition titled Findings: Works from the Spanish Collection of MSU-Skopje with works from the Spanish collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art – Skopje, 30 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Spain and North Macedonia are being celebrated. This exhibition is the result of the cooperation of the Museum of Contemporary Art – Skopje and the Embassy of Spain in the Republic of Macedonia and is part of the celebration of October 12 – the National Day of Spain.
After the catastrophic earthquake that struck the city of Skopje in 1963 and the founding of the MSU-Skopje in 1964, the contribution of Spanish artists was also noticeable, which through direct contacts, over the years resulted in a remarkable collection of donations. It was further expanded, and artists from Spain are also included in some of the contemporary exhibitions.[1]
The collection of the MSU-Skopje holds a total of over 5300 works, among which the Spanish collection with 42 works by 19 artists, such as Ángel Duarte, Manolo Mies, Mil Loubrot, Rafael Canogar and others, holds a significant place, as well as 8 works by 4 artists of Spanish origin who lived and worked abroad and are found in other collections such as the French and Brazilian ones: Doroteo Arnais, Juan Rabascal, Isabel Pons and of course Pablo Picasso. The artists-donors are bearers of a creative continuity throughout the entire 20th century.
Although it is a smaller collection compared to some others, the works from the Spanish Collection qualitatively represent an essential part of the MSU-Skopje collection, as a representative overview of the achievements in art of the 1960s and 1970s, incorporated into the basic concept on which the Museum is based. This is also evidenced by the fact that works by Spanish artists have been regularly exhibited in the museum's permanent exhibitions (1970, 1982, 1991, 2014), then also within the framework of the Donated Works exhibitions, as well as exhibitions with a selection of works from the Graphic Collection (1972,[2] 1983, 1988, 1991).
During the decades of communication between the two countries, several collaborations have been achieved in the field of fine arts. Some other significant guest exhibitions have also been held at the MSU-Skopje, among which the exhibition of Spanish Informel in 1983 stands out in its significance,[3] an event that sparked great interest and opened a controversy around the dominant artistic discourse.[4] Works by Spanish artists are also included in the most important visiting exhibitions, such as the recent ones at the Kunsthalle Vienna (April 10, 2023 – January 28, 2024).[5] and the National Gallery in Prague (March 21 – September 29, 2024),[6] which includes works by Picasso and Rabascal.
Until now, the Spanish collection has not been presented separately, and this is the first comprehensive separate overview, through an exhibition and publication that includes the authors from the Spanish collection, as well as authors of Spanish origin. We believe that their presentation is particularly important at this time, in order to highlight the openness and aspiration of the MSU-Skopje to promote international cooperation.
The exhibition entitled "Discoveries" presents a selection of paintings, graphics, photographs, tapestries and mosaics, created in the period from 1937 to 2006, by several generations of Spanish artists who lived and created in Spain, but also outside of it. A total of 39 works by 26 artists are presented, including 27 works by 19 artists from the Spanish collection of the MSU-Skopje (R. Canogar, M. Millarres, Lisa Rechsteiner, Luis Ortega, Gerard Lomen, José Luis Galicia, etc.), as well as 6 works by 4 artists of Spanish origin or born in Spain (Isabel Pons, H. Rabascal). Also, as a complement, the exhibition also presents 6 works by 3 artists inspired by Spain (Albert Suliloux from France; Bruno Talpo from Italy and Ivo Veljanov from Macedonia). The exhibition is complemented by a selection of documents, catalogs and photographs from the archives of the MSU-Skopje, which illuminate the context in which the MSU collection was created and register the Spanish contribution to it.
Through the presented works of significant authors who are part of the world's artistic heritage, this exhibition also imposes the basic intention of highlighting universal values and actualizing the need to further supplement the collection with works by authors open to modernity through an innovative and critical approach to art. This exhibition, which opens on the day when the National Day of Spain is celebrated in the year when the 60th anniversary of the founding of MSU-Skopje is celebrated, is a reminder of global solidarity - on which the Museum is based - and the importance of international cooperation, which is the basis for dealing with common challenges in modernity.
Coordination of exhibition
Julia Manojloska
Conservation team
Ljupčo Iljovski and Jadranka Milčovska
Visual identity
Nada Prlja Serafimovski
The exhibition and catalog were realized with financial assistance from the Embassy of Spain in Skopje.
[1] Daniel García Andújar's participation in the exhibition stands out. „Сé што ни е заедничко“ (All That We Have in Common, МСУ-Скопје, декември 2019, курирана од Мира Гаќина и Јованка Попова).
[2] Boris Petkovski Paintings and sculptures from the MSU collection on display. Publication from the permanent exhibition opened in the new building on November 13, 1970.
[3] Art Informel in Contemporary Spanish Painting, MSU -Skopje, May – June 1983. Exhibition organization Viktorija Vaseva Dimeska. Text Ceferino Moreno.
[4] Vladimir Georgievski, "Abstraction in Art: Who Needs the "Spanish" Informel?", Commentary (on the occasion of the exhibition "Informel in Contemporary Spanish Painting", MSU Skopje, May - June 1983) Published in Nova Makedonija, Skopje 04.06.1983; Без наслов – Коментар from the Cultural Life section on the controversy between Vladimir Georgievski and the Professional Collegium of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje, Published in Nova Makedonija, Skopje, 11.06.1983.
[5] No Feeling is Final. Skopje Solidarity Collection, Kunsthalle Vienna 10/04/2023 – 28/01/2024. Exhibition curated by WHW, in collaboration with MSU-Skopje.
[6] No Feeling is Final: Solidarity Collection MSU-Skopje No Feeling is Final. Skopje Solidarity Collection, National Gallery of Prague 21/03 – 29/09/2024. Exhibition curated by WHW and Rado Isztok in collaboration with MSU-Skopje.
