Gerardo Rueda

GERARDO RUEDA (Madrid, 1926 - 1996).
"Modern", 1987.
Carved wood.
Exemplary 40/40.
Signed, dated, titled and justified by hand on the base.
Measurements: 25 x 21 x 18 cm.

As we observe in the sculpture "Modern", which may allude to the architectural avant-garde of the second half of the twentieth century, the language of Gerardo Rueda is characterized by its exquisite treatment of color and its formal rigor.

Considered one of the key artists of the second half of the twentieth century, Rueda was a pioneer in the introduction of informalism in Spain, and creator of the Museum of Abstract Art in Cuenca with Zóbel. He exhibited for the first time in 1949 in Madrid, and since then his work will be increasingly present in the artistic spheres of the capital. In 1957 he took the definitive international leap and held his first solo exhibition in Paris, at the Galerie La Roue. On the other hand, his solo exhibition in 1958 at the Ateneo de Madrid gave him repercussions in Spain. Thus, he will participate in the Spanish Pavilion of the XXX Biennial of Venice with three paintings, and in 1966 he obtains the Serra Brothers Award at the Salon de Mayo in Barcelona. In 1967 he acted as art purchase advisor to the Santander Central Hispano Foundation, whose collection he contributed to form; two years later he took part in the XII Festival dei Due Mondi, at the Palazzo Collicola in Spoleto. His fame continued to grow, as did his recognition, and in 1973 he created a granite mural relief, today located in the Museo de Escultura al Aire Libre del Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid. In 1980 he was one of the founding members and patron of the Fundación de los Amigos del Museo del Prado, with which he organized an important Goya exhibition three years later. In the eighties he will continue to carry out important projects such as the mural painting of the Spanish Embassy in Riyadh or the remodeling of the Santa Cruz Museum in Toledo. During these years he also made numerous trips to various European capitals and also to Latin American and North American capitals, where he visited the modern art collections of their most important museums. In 1988 he was commissioned to make the stained glass windows of the central nave of the cathedral of Cuenca, a task to which he would devote himself from 1989 to 1992. The eighties ended with an anthological exhibition dedicated to his work, organized by Caja Madrid. Subsequently, he exhibited twice at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the IVAM dedicated nine productions to him, including exhibitions and catalogs, between 1996 and 2008. In 1995 he was appointed member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. Gerardo Rueda is currently represented at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the British Museum in London, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico, Caracas and Barcelona, etc.