Description

Catalogue of the exhibition Jorge de la Vega. Works 1961 — 1971 , presented at Malba between November 14, 2003 and February 3, 2004.

This catalogue was published on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition curated by Mercedes Casanegra that Malba dedicated to the artist, focusing on his most fruitful and singular period. It encompasses his works created within the Nueva Figuración group, his shift towards the object through “liberated forms,” his “monsters”—the bestiary comprised of a series of collages created between 1963 and 1966—and the pieces produced during his New York period: paintings and works on paper imbued with psychedelia, pop art, black and white, and song.

The publication reproduces the exhibited works alongside other representative pieces from his oeuvre, plus a selection of historical texts by and about the artist, a biographical chronology (1946–1971), and a bibliography. In addition to the curator's text, the essay section includes the republication in Spanish of a piece by Paulo Herkenhoff that explores the links between New Figuration and contemporary Brazilian art, and an account by Luis Camnitzer of his shared experience with De la Vega in a New York workshop. The compiled material constitutes one of the most important volumes published to date on De la Vega.

“The goal of art is more important than art itself. Colors or words are not the goal, but rather the aesthetic wrapping, which is a useful invention for the elites. The ultimate goal is humankind, and this can be achieved without passing through the stage of beauty. (...) Art will not be replaced by anything other than humankind itself, which will fully realize itself through its evolution.” — Jorge De la Vega

Authors
Mercedes Casanegra
Paulo Herkenhoff
Luis Camnitzer

Technical specifications
Published by: Malba
Year: 2003
Type: Exhibition catalog
Binding: Paperback
Dimensions: 27 x 23 cm
Weight: 1 kg
Language: Bilingual - Spanish / English
Pages: 198
ISBN: 987-97677-7-2