Miquel Barceló - Contemporary Art London Thursday, June 21, 2007 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Leo Castelli, New York

  • Exhibited

    New York, Leo Castelli, Miquel Barceló, April – May, 1986

  • Catalogue Essay

    Spanish Neo-Expressionist Miquel Barcelo evokes a personal spirit and cultural legacy in his heavily-worked canvases. His pictures possess a sculptural tactility and vividness which call to mind elements of Mimmo Paladino and Jannis Kounellis. Painted in 1986 the present lot, La Rosa Blanca, proves the artist’s mastery at combining forces of allusion and representation to consumptive appeal. His prowess in overcoming the two-dimensionality of the canvas, combined with his somber grisaille palette, also reminds us of a labored Anselm Kiefer canvas, both artists capturing emotion through evocative means.

    “By way of their large scale and size and their gnarled textures, Barcelo's paintings seek to make the commonplace heroic, and often succeed in doing so. It's hard to determine the extent of their Spanishness but there's no doubt that they will soon slide smoothly into the multinational Neo-Expressionist scene - if they haven't already done so. Their closest relatives - in spirit and general attack, if not in appearance - are the works of Donald Sultan.” (V. Raynor, “Art: Miquel Barcelo, A Painter From Spain”, The New York Times, April 18, 1986).

  • Artist Biography

    Miquel Barceló

    Spanish • 1957

    Drawing inspiration from work by Diego Velázquez and art-making practices of the Avant-garde, Miquel Barceló is perhaps most popular for his hybridization of traditional Spanish figurative aesthetics and thick, abstract brushstrokes. Barceló is inherently drawn to that which is multimedia, having received training in installation work, painting and ceramic. This ability to work across various mediums comes from the artist's hunger for travel and exploring new lands.

    Currently based between Mallorca, Mali and Paris, Barceló incorporates the visual aesthetics of his disparate countries seamlessly into his work. The artist's concern involves how to translate different modes of travel and culture into art-making. One recurring topic in his body of work is the ocean — the ultimate symbol of movement, displacement and the unknown.

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49

La Rosa Blanca (The White Rose)

1986
Oil, charcoal and paper collage on canvas.
76 3/4 x 118 1/4 in. (194.9 x 300.4 cm).
Signed, titled and dated “Barceló Paris I-86 La Rosa Blanca” on the reverse.

Estimate
£350,000 - 450,000 

Sold for £820,800

Contemporary Art

22 June 2007, 4pm & 5pm
London