Basque Art
Exhibit: People and Places / Des Gens et de Lieux
Musée Historique de Biarritz, Rue Broquedis, 64200 Biarritz
Open from 10am to 1pm and from 2.30 to 6.30pm everyday except Sundays and Mondays, until 27 August 2011
Zoe Bray is of dual British and French nationality. Born in Paris, she then went to university in Edinburgh and Florence. Recently she also lived in Berlin, and has now begun a new position as assistant professor at the Centre for Basque Studies, at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Zoe's paintings are naturalistic in style. She paints directly from life and has a realistic approach. Trained also as a social anthropologist, she has a particular interest and sensitivity in painting people.
In this exhibition, Zoe Bray shows some of her recent paintings in oil, landscapes and portraits of individuals she met in the Basque Country, Berlin and Italy. Amongst some of these portraits are famous figures of contemporary Basque culture, including the artists Nestor Basterretxea and José Antonio Sistiaga and the choreographer and writer Philippe Oyhamburu. There are also portraits of other individuals which Zoe painted in different settings, some in the intimacy of their homes and some in her studio.
Exhibit in NY of Zumeta's paintings, November 7 – December 28, 2002
Haim Chanin Fine Arts announces the first New York exhibition of works by Basque artist Zumeta, featuring five magnificent oil paintings on canvas and a selection of works on paper in gouache and watercolor. The prominent Basque artist is best known for his paintings' expressive gesture and bright, pure palette. Bold brushstrokes of pure color fill the canvases. His paintings retain the energy that drives his life: "To stop moving is to cease to exist," says the artist. The exhibition is on view from November 7 through December 28, 2002 at the gallery at 210 Eleventh Ave., New York.
Basque artist exhibits in New York
Basque artist Nisa Goiburu exhibited her new works
at the Caelum Gallery in New York, June 5 through June 16, 2001. An
opening reception took place Saturday, June 9 at the gallery,
508-526 West 26th Street, Suite 315.
Escuchando la Palabra, by Nisa Goiburu
Painting by Juan Luis Goenaga
/ Photo: Dean Burton
View more exhibit images
Read the exhibit catalog essay by J.
Zulaika
"Four Painters, Four Visions" –
Basque Art Exhibit in the U.S.
The works of four contemporary Basque artists are featured in an exhibit of paintings on paper that toured the western U.S. The painters—Javier Balda, Juan Luis Goenaga, Eduardo López, and Ramón Zuriarrain—provide a sample of current Basque art from the creatively active city of San Sebastián, home to many well-known Basque artists.
Balda's work reflects his "fascination with geometry, with the simplicity of the visual impact…of a line or a circle." Goenaga's work is highly reminiscent of Paleolithic cave paintings, a legacy of the early inhabitants of the Basque region, rich in earthy color. López creates a very different pictorial style. According to critic Fernando Golvano, this results in "a display of pleasures, unexpected surprises, plays, paradoxes, circus characters…" Zurriarain, too, reinvents the world, as he "manipulates combinations of the scenic and fictional to create a world of dreams…" expressed in vibrant, abstract landscapes. Together the four artists' work creates an exhibit of contrasting styles, yet interwoven with common themes of their social and political reality.
The exhibit,
which was shown at California State University, Chico in Fall 1999,
appeared in Reno at the University of Nevada’s Sheppard Gallery, February
15-March 15, 2001. It was also presented at Boise
State University, Visual Arts Center, August 24-September 28, 2001, and
at the University of Idaho (Moscow), Prichard Art Gallery, October
11-November 16, 2001.
Sponsorship for presenting these exciting works in the U.S. was provided by the
Center for Basque Studies and by the University Studies Abroad Consortium,
directed by Carmelo Urza, which conducts study-abroad programs in the
Basque country and many other areas of the world. The Reno exhibit
was funded in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council, a state
agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. With
their support, an exhibit catalog was also prepared. The catalog
includes an essay by Joseba Zulaika on the artists' work, from which
the above quotations were extracted.
View more exhibit images
Read an article about Basque
art in Reno, Nevada.