December 03, 2017
Chillida Leku will reopen in 2018
The prestigious Swiss gallery Hauser & Wirth will manage the Basque artist’s art gallery.
Chillida Leku will reopen to the public next year, according to ETB. The prestigious Swiss gallery Hauser & Wirth will manage the Basque artist’s art gallery.
Chillida Leku is closed to the general public since 2011. According to the statement of the gallery, “with the support and guidance of Hauser & Wirth Chillida Leku will reopen in 2018 for the general public, as a vital resource to experience and learn about the work of Eduardo Chillida. ”
Together with the heirs of the sculptor, Hauser & Wirth “will develop a new and sustainable model for Chillida Leku that is sensitive to the vision of the artist, focused on a changing program of exhibitions that position Chillida’s work, along with other important figures of the canon artistic historical and contextualize its practice for future generations “.
Luis Chillida, son of the artist, has stated that since the death of his father, the family has worked to “safeguard his legacy”, for which they considered the possibility of “designating a gallery” to be “guided by this responsibility”.
“Hauser & Wirth was an obvious choice,” said Chillida, who highlighted the gallery’s “sensitivity” to his father’s work and his “family-oriented approach,” which “cemented” his decision.
For his part, the head of the gallery, Ian Wirth, has been “delighted” to “now have the opportunity to work closely with the Chillida family” in the “preservation of his legacy”, which he hopes to disseminate in the United States , Europe and Asia.
“Chillida joins several important European post-war sculptors in our program, such as Hans Arp, Fausto Melotti and Henry Moore, as well as the American heavyweight David Smith,” he added. He also said he was “delighted” to support the reopening of Chillida-Leku “to the public in general,” so that the “local and international community” can enjoy this “important window to the life and work of the artist.”
“We hope that facilitating wider access to the museum will increase the already rich offer of cultural destinations in the Basque Country,” Wirth said in the statement. The gallery now hopes to promote its work in the United States and Asia. At the moment they are already planning an exhibition at the 69th Street gallery in New York for next year.
Via: EITB