Manuel Rivera Hernández

MANUEL RIVERA HERNÁNDEZ (Granada, 1928 - Madrid, 1995).
"Estorzuelo 4, " January 1993.
Mixed media (wire mesh, wire, metal, fabrics) and methacrylate and oil on aluminum stretcher frame.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Signed, dated and titled on the back.
Provenance: Manuel Rivera Family (Legacy M. Rivera).
Exhibitions:
- "Telas metálicas, Estorzuelos, Collages", Rayuela Gallery, Madrid, April - June 2007.
-Manuel Rivera. Kaleidoscope", Leandro Navarro Gallery, Madrid, November 2021- January 2022 (reproduced in the exhibition catalog).
Measurements: 50 x 44 cm, 52 x 46 cm (frame).

In this work the author uses an abstract language, based on irregular geometry, with an organic character in the outline of the metal wires. It is an open style, whose basic characteristic is the conception of the pictorial surface as a whole, as an open field, without limits and without hierarchy. Thus, as we see here, the forms are the result of a thoughtful composition and experimentation, with an image of gestural character, are not limited to a composition, but go beyond, indicating to the viewer that it is about forms, ideas or suggestions that go beyond the boundaries of the purely pictorial. This work in metal is an example of Rivera's work, who explored the material and other elements such as sands.
Manuel Rivera was a founding member of the influential "El Paso group", being one of the pioneers and introducer of the Spanish avant-garde art movement after World War II. Rivera began his training as a sculptor in the workshop of Martín Simón, his interests turned to painting and he was trained at the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de Sevilla (now part of the University of Seville) where he began his studies in 1945 at the age of 18. His first major exhibition was at the Press Association of Granada in 1947. After completing his training, he moved to Madrid in 1951 where he became known as a painter of murals and frescoes in public spaces and churches. This led to commissions as a muralist and fresco artist in cities throughout Spain. Initially his work explored the style of figurative art, although in the 1950s he turned to abstraction. In 1953 he participated in the Congress of Abstract Art in Santander (Congress of Abstract Art). In 1957 he co-founded the group El Paso in Madrid with fellow artists Rafael Canogar, Luis Feito, Juana Francés, Manolo Millares, Pablo Serrano, Antonio Suárez and Antonio Saura. From 1957 to 1960, Rivera and the other artists of this group jointly presented several exhibitions in Spain and abroad that had a profound impact on the development of Spanish art. The final exhibition of the group was at the L'Attico gallery in Rome in 1960. The Marlborough Gallery presented a retrospective exhibition of the group's works in May and June 2004 entitled "El Paso, 1957-1960". In 1967 Rivera began experimenting with artistic techniques and ideas from Asian cultures. In 1981 he was awarded Spain's Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts. He also received the Cross of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France. He is currently represented at the British Museum in London, the MoMA in New York, the Musée National d'Art Moderne de la Villa in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in Zurich, the Museum of Abstract Art in Cuenca, the Tate Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and many others.