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Sculpture Exhibit and Author’s Reception On February 11, 1985 a ceremony attended by over 200 persons was held in the foyer of the University library. The occasion was to inaugurate the exhibition of two Basque sculptures now on display at the University of Nevada and to celebrate publication of Dr. Dorothy Legarreta’s new book The Guernica Generation: Basque Refugee Children of the Spanish Civil War. The sculptures are Orreaga by Nestor Basterrechea and Gaztelu by Remigio Mendiburu. Basterrechea has worked as a sculptor, painter, designer and film producer. He has held fifteen individual exhibitions and participated in more than 150 collective ones, mainly in Europe. Eleven of his largest works adorn public buildings and urban spaces in the Basque Country. Mendiburu is a leading Basque sculptor dedicated to the expression of traditional Basque culture through the medium of contemporary visual arts. His works have been exhibited widely in Europe. Orreaga, which is the Basque term for Roncesvalles (Spanish) or Ronceveaux (French), commemorates the famous battle at the mountain pass in the Pyrenees during which Basques attacked Charlemagne’s rearguard. The emperor’s commander Roland was killed, giving rise to the famous epic poem Song of Roland. The base piece of the sculpture is seated within a U-shaped wooden framework which represents the canyon where the imperial forces were attacked. The base piece depicts Charlemagne’s trapped army with its anguished cries rising to the heavens. From above, descending upon them is the bird of death in the form of the avenging Basque forces. Gaztelu, “castle” in Basque, employs a massive wooden motif to depict both the diversity and continuity of the seven traditional Basque regions within the single taproot of Basque culture. Mr. Ramón Cengotitabengoa, owner of the two works, has graciously loaned them to the University for the next two years. If you happen to be in the Reno area, try to view them. Dorothy Legarreta’s book is the ninth title to appear in the Basque Book Series of the University of Nevada Press. Dr. Legarreta is an Adjunct Professor with the Basque Studies Program. As a child she recalls hearing the word “Guernica” spoken often and with passion whenever her Basque sheepherder father discussed news of the Civil War in Spain. Decades later after a chance encounter with a Midwestern professor who taught Basque refugee children in London in 1938, Legarreta began to reconstruct the history of the Guernica Generation. Her research took her to Spain, England, France, Belgium and Mexico where she interviewed participants of the evacuation. She has authored several other books and articles. |
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