BECHTOLD 80. INICI I OBRA RECENT

To mark the 80th birthday of the painter Erwin Bechtold (Cologne, 1925), Es Baluard Museu d’art Modern i Contemporani de Palma is organizing an exhibition of this leading German-born artist, residing in Ibiza since 1958.

The exhibition brings together 74 works, between canvasses and works on paper, belonging to two periods: the early years (1957 -1961) and recent work (1998-2004). The paintings come from the artist’s collection in Ibiza and Cologne, as well as from public and private collections in Germany, Palma and Barcelona. The aim of this project is to contrast two moments in his career that encapsulate his output as a whole, as an outward and return journey.

Erwin Bechtold is a member of the extensive colony of foreign artists that came to Ibiza in search of a new lifestyle and new experiences. Bechtold has spent his whole career in our country, and it seems logical that Es Baluard should pay him the homage he deserves. Due to the importance of his painting work as well as the close links he has maintained with our culture, Erwin Bechtold has established himself as an inescapable reference point in describing the history of art in the Balearic Islands.

The exhibition reveals the different aspects of the artist’s exploration of abstract form, of the composition of painted space and his attempts to synthesise his expressive language to the utmost; a coherent process performed by means of a thoroughness in his work and an exemplary demanding approach.

Erwin Bechtold’s painting work often extends beyond the limits of the picture, with creations that directly involve the place where the exhibition is held. With this in mind, the artist has presented us with a specific montage in the Aljub, which includes the performance Destrucció-construcció, performed on the opening day. The musical composition for this installation has been created ex profeso by the great Catalan maestro Josep Maria Mestres Quadreny, who has already collaborated with artists such as Antoni Tàpies and Joan Brossa.

Location-Hall: Floor -1 / Aljub
Production: Es Baluard Museu d'Art Modern i Contemporani de Palma