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Lertxundi Exhibit A reception and book presentation for Mikel Anjel Lertxundi Argoitia, a renowned Basque sculptor, was held at the Sheppard Gallery, University of Nevada, Reno campus, on August 17, 1990. The reception was extremely well attended. Linda White introduced the artist and made a brief presentation of his trilingual book, Universal Art Expressed in the Basque Idiom. After the presentation, Mr. Lertxundi gave a moving speech about Basque language and culture in Basque. Ms. White translated. In his speech, Lertxundi said, "If I tell you that during my childhood we were forbidden to speak Basque, our own language, in our schools, and if I tell you that we were forced to learn a foreign language under threat of punishment, and all our teachers were Spanish and enemies of the Basque language, and if I tell you that we were forced to carry on all our official and administrative relationships in that foreign language, and that it still happens sometimes that way today, I am sure you will understand me." The artist's words elicited applause from the enthusiastic crowd. Mikel Lertxundi was born in Berriatua (Euskadi) in 1951. In his fifteen years as an artist he has had more than twenty individual shows and has participated in more than 26 events in various parts of the world. He has won the scholarship entitled Creation and Investigation of Plastic Arts, awarded by Caja de Ahorros Vizcaina, and in 1985 he was awarded an Honorable Mention for Sculpture in the Gure Artea Certamen. Lertxundi has artwork on display in many locations throughout Europe, including the Astigarraga plaza in Guipúzcoa; the Etxebarria plaza in Vizcaya; the Munitibar plaza, also in Vizcaya; the Caja de Ahorros Municipal de Pamplona in Navarra; the San Telmo of San Sebastián Museum in Guipúzcoa; the Bilbao City Hall; the Gernika City Hall; the Engelmajer Foundation in Valencia; and the Cultural Assessorate of Florence, Italy. In residence at the University of Nevada from July 10 until September 3, 1990, Mr. Lertxundi prepared his exhibit of sculptures in iron, stone, and wood, entitled "Lertxundi: Sculpture and Drawings," in a studio provided by the University of Nevada Art Department. The exhibit ran from August 17 to September 11, 1990, and was sponsored by the Sheppard Gallery, the Basque Studies Program, and the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Basque Government. Mikel Lertxundi tells us in his book that he describes the world as three concentric circles. In the nucleus, there is iron, or in fact, all types of metals. The second circle is composed of stone and represents the crust of the earth. And the last circle is wood, or the vegetation on the face of the earth. These three elements of nature combine to express Lertxundi's personal representation of the life we live and the nature that surrounds us. In combination with these natural materials, the artist unites curves and angles in a simplistic balance to create a sensation of completion and equilibrium for the viewer, reflecting the balance inherent in nature. Thus, each of the materials used, the wood, the stone, and the metal, have meaning unto themselves, but when combined with each other and with fire, wind, and water, they become the balanced sphere that makes life possible. Before his departure from Reno, Mr. Lertxundi donated one of the sculptures from his exhibit to the Basque Studies Program. The piece, entitled Orekaren bila-VIII (In Search of Equilibrium-VIII), will be displayed in the Basque Studies Program offices. A limited number of copies of Lertxundi: Universal Art Expressed in the Basque idiom are available for sale at the Basque Studies Program. The book is 211 pages long, and includes 69 pages of full-color photographs of the artist's work. It was awarded the 1989 Euskadi Prize by the Basque government for best publication. The price of the book is $45.00, plus $2.00 for postage (within U.S.). Checks should be made out to Board of Regents. |
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