Master of Spanish realism
From 28 January 2024, we present a major retrospective of Spanish artist Antonio López (1936). López is a phenomenon in his native Spain and has been labelled the 'greatest living realist artist'. The exhibition Antonio López - Master of Spanish realism is López' first major solo exhibition in the Netherlands. Paintings - including portraits, still lifes and huge Madrid cityscapes - drawings and sculpture will come to Assen. For this exhibition, we are collaborating with Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera in Barcelona, where a major exhibition on López will open in the Gaudí house Casa Milà on 21 September 2023.
Antonio López' work is wide ranging. Not only does he choose a variety of subjects, but he also makes use of different materials. The Drents Museum shows all these facets of his art through dozens of paintings, drawings and sculptures. In total, the work in the exhibition Antonio López - Master of Spanish realism spans about seventy years. This allows visitors to follow López' entire career closely.
Detailed working method
Antonio López is known for his extremely detailed working method. One of his cityscapes of Madrid - the painting Madrid desde la torre de bomberos de Vallecas, on display in the exhibition in Assen - even took him sixteen years to complete, with breaks of course. López often chooses to return to the same place at the same time every year. It is characteristic of his art: López always tries to capture the essence of an object. He does this by leaving nothing to chance. Light, colour and shape: everything is carefully studied and imitated. In doing so, he transforms everyday subjects into rich works of art.
©Antonio López García, Madrid desde la torre
de bomberos de Vallecas [Madrid vanaf de brandtoren
in Vallecas], 1990-2006, olieverf op doek, Fundación
Montemadrid (in bewaring bij de gemeente Madrid).
C/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2023
Known worldwide
In 1993, 2008 and 2011, Antonio Lopéz had major solo exhibitions at Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid). In 2014 he completed a monumental painting of the Spanish royal family, which he had already started in 1994. His work is included in museum collections around the world, such as the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg, Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Antonio López also became famous for the film El sol del membrillo. In this 1992 film, directed by Victor Erice and awarded several prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, López is filmed for months while he paints a quince tree in his garden. To this day it remains an absolute classic in film history.
Antonio López – Master of Spanish Realism can be seen from January 28 to June 2, 2024 and fits into the series of exhibitions of international realism, such as The American Dream on American realism (2017), Sprezzatura on Italian realism (2019) and Viva la Frida! – Life and art of Frida Kahlo (2021). The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated publication with contributions from Dutch and Spanish authors.
© Antonio Lopez Garcia, La Cena, 1971-1980, olieverf op paneel, 89 x 101 cm, collectie kunstenaar. C/o Pictoright Amsterdam
© Antonio Lopez Garcia, Gran Via, 1 augustus, 7:30, 2009-2015, olieverf op doek, 124,60 x 128,60 cm, collection Pérez Simón, New York, C/o Pictoright Amsterdam