Eduardo Chillida

EDUARDO CHILLIDA (San Sebastián, 1924–2002)
“Idigi II,” 1982.
Etching on Segundo Santos paper, print no. 26/30.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Printed by Taller Hatz, San Sebastián, and published by Maeght.
Work cataloged in Van der Koelen under reference number 82009.
Measurements: 14 × 21 cm (paper); 46 × 33.5 cm (frame).

Idigi II condenses into the graphic realm one of Chillida’s essential explorations: the capacity of form to activate and transform space. The title—idigi means “to open” in Basque—finds its counterpart in a black structure articulated through recesses, interruptions, and voids, transforming the white of the paper into a presence as decisive as the printed surface. The density of the black and the irregular nature of the contours lend the etching qualities associated with carved or forged material. Despite its small format, the composition possesses a marked monumental dimension, reinforced by the balance between mass, boundary, and void. The limited edition of thirty copies and its inclusion in the artist’s catalog raisonné highlight its appeal to collectors.

A leading figure in 20th-century European sculpture, Eduardo Chillida began studying architecture before turning his career toward artistic creation. After an initial period in Paris, he returned to the Basque Country in 1951, where he began working with iron, a material central to his exploration of the relationships between matter, boundary, void, and space. At the same time, he developed an extensive body of graphic work, conceived not as a complement to sculpture but as an autonomous realm of formal experimentation. Internationally recognized since the 1950s, he created monumental works such as *Peine del Viento* in San Sebastián and *Elogio del horizonte* in Gijón. His work is represented in institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate in London, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.