Kieff Antonio Grediaga

"KIEFF" ANTONIO GREDIAGA (Madrid, 1936).
"Angelus miserere", 1973.
Black marble from Belgium. Unique piece.
Attached sketch of the work signed by the artist and author's book.
Work reproduced in the author's book, p. 56 and 57 cm.
Presents signature on the sculpture and on the sketch.
Measurements: 102 x 21.5 x 21.5 cm (sculpture); 30 x 22 cm (sketch); 37 x 28 x 2 x 2 cm (frame).
In this work Kieff synthesizes in an exemplary way this tension between physical presence and transcendent evocation: an ascending figure, with polished surfaces and undulating contours, which seems to emerge from the stone block as a silent apparition suspended between the human and the sacred. The choice of black marble from Belgium is not merely a technical preference, but an expressive will that is deeply coherent with KIEFF's plastic universe. The dark shine of the stone absorbs the light and returns it in a contained way, creating an almost liturgical effect that transforms the piece into an object of contemplation. In contrast to the classical tradition of white marble, the sculptor opts here for a dense and enigmatic material that intensifies the introspective dimension of the work. The black does not act as a chromatic absence, but as a spiritual space; a void full of resonances where the form seems to fluctuate between appearance and disappearance. Formally, the sculpture reveals the influence of European organicist currents and post-war biomorphic sculpture, although reinterpreted from a deeply personal sensibility.
Kieff Antonio Grediaga began his artistic training in cabinetmaking, working with his father in the restoration of religious furniture. His first exhibition was held in 1968 at the Moos Gallery Montreal, where all the pieces were acquired, a fact that consolidated his international projection. Since then he has presented his work in galleries and fairs in Canada, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Israel and various European regions. Among his recent exhibitions is El Canto del Hierro (Cádiz, 2022), dedicated to Manuel de Falla's "Siete canciones populares españolas" (Seven Popular Spanish Songs). In the urban environment, his monumental sculpture The Turning Point (iron and aluminum) was exhibited in Columbus Circle, New York, as part of an international fair in 1980.
Kieff's work is part of institutional collections such as the National Museum of Fine Arts (Havana, Cuba), the Emilio Bacardi Moreau Museum (Santiago de Cuba) and the Museum of the City (Madrid, Spain). His production ranges from small-format bronzes to monumental structures in iron, wood or marble. Currently, the Kieff Antonio Grediaga Foundation, with headquarters/museum under construction in Tendilla (Guadalajara), is oriented to the preservation of his legacy, the dissemination of his work and the training of new generations of creators.