Jorge Oteiza

Haim Chanin Fine Arts has the pleasure of announcing an exhibition by Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza, on view from March 27 through May 31, 2003. This exhibition, the first of the legendary artist-philosopher in New York, features eleven geometric sculptures in alabaster and iron dating from the ‘50s and representative of the artist’s most influential period. The show is complemented by a selection of collages that capture the artist’s reductionist tendencies.

Jorge Oteiza is respected for his visionary explorations of three-dimensional space. His most transcendental body of work, gathered in “Experimental Propositions,” earned him the 1957 International Sculpture Prize in the IX São Paulo Bienal, along Morandi and Ben Nicholson. Oteiza pushed spatial exploration to the limits; beyond Moore, he departed from the conception of sculpture as a solid body. He intended to capture the Void, the immaterial, by emptying the space of mass. This master’s search to grasp an impalpable space grew from his strong spirituality, from his desire to grasp the essence of the Universe, the primordial black hole.

Oteiza’s influence on contemporary sculpture is due not solely to his body of work but to his extensive philosophical writings. In the 30s and 40s he traveled throughout the Americas contributing significantly to the local artistic discourse by bridging conceptually the production of Modern sculpture with archeology and pre-Colombian civilizations. Back in Spain, Oteiza’s commitment to art as a way to promote a political conscience, even in times of Franco, made him a controversial figure. In 1959 he considered his sculptural labor done. He continued his work as an educator and philosopher, founding many schools dedicated to three-dimensional and architectural exploration. In the ‘60s, together with Chillida, he was the originator of the group GAUR, which sought to develop a true Basque aesthetic language.

Oteiza has also contributed significantly to architecture and monumental public art, still visible in numerous churches, public buildings and squares throughout Spain, such as the project for Plaza Colón in Madrid and his religious statuary at the Basílica de Arantzazu. In 1992 Oteiza donated his complete works to the government of Navarra, which founded the Oteiza Foundation to preserve his oeuvre and extend his legacy.

At 94, Oteiza continues to challenge us. He expressed reservations towards Frank O. Gehry’s architectural proposal for Guggenheim Bilbao and, when asked to mount a solo exhibition in the said museum, he refused. In spite of this, and during their meeting in 1997 for the inauguration of the museum, both Frank O. Gehry and Richard Serra expressed their admiration for Oteiza, the latter considering him the best sculptor alive.

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Jorge Oteiza