Gerardo Rueda

GERARDO RUEDA SALABERRY (Madrid, 1926 - 1996).
"Social elegance of wood", 1984.
Painting on wood.
Signed on the back.
Exhibited at the Theo Gallery in 1985.
With labels of Dolors Junyent Gallery, Theo Gallery, MNCARS and Caja Madrid.
Exhibitions:-Galería Theo, Madris February 1985, nº13 cat.-"Gerardo Rueda retrospective 1941-1996", MNCARS 30/10/2001-14/01/2002, reproduced on page 158 of the exhibition catalog.
-Anthological exhibition Gerardo Rueda", Caja Madrid May-June 1989.
Measurements: 48 x 25 x 4,5 cm.

With the series "The social elegance of wood", Gerardo Rueda began an important group of still lifes and reliefs in wood stained by glazes with echoes of the works of Morandi. The work reflects Gerardo Rueda's ability to integrate the concept of form into a sculptural piece, as well as to bring pictorial and objectual language into dialogue. Rueda, known for his minimalist and technically refined approach, often used wood not only as a material, but also as a medium to explore the interplay of light, space and form. The title of the work suggests a reflection on the use of natural materials in art, taking it to the level of social commentary, exploring themes such as status, cultural value and consumption.

Considered one of the key artists of the second half of the 20th century, Rueda was a pioneer in the introduction of informalism in Spain, and creator of the Museo de Arte Abstracto de Cuenca together with Zóbel. He exhibited for the first time in 1949 in Madrid, and since then his work has been increasingly present in the artistic spheres of the capital. In 1957 he took the definitive international leap and held his first solo exhibition in Paris, at the Galerie La Roue. The exhibition was a great success, and shortly afterwards the then director of the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Villa de Paris, Jean Cassou, acquired his painting "Composition grise ou Balbina". On the other hand, his solo exhibition in 1958 at the Ateneo de Madrid gave him repercussions in Spain. Thus, he will participate in the Spanish Pavilion of the XXX Venice Biennial with three paintings. During these years Rueda and Zóbel begin to build up their magnificent collection of works by Spanish abstract artists of the post-war period, for whose exhibition they will form the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca in 1966. Meanwhile, Rueda continued to show his personal work in important galleries, and in 1965 he began his collaboration with Juana Mordó in Madrid, which would eventually become his gallery. The following year he also won the Serra Brothers Prize at the Salón de Mayo in Barcelona. In 1967 he will act as art purchase advisor to the Fundación Santander Central Hispano, whose collection he contributed to form; two years later he takes part in the XII Festival dei Due Mondi, at the Palazzo Collicola in Spoleto. His fame continued to grow, as did his recognition, and in 1973 he created a granite mural relief, today located in the Museo de Escultura al Aire Libre del Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid. In 1980 he was one of the founding members and patron of the Fundación de los Amigos del Museo del Prado, with which he organized an important Goya exhibition three years later. In the eighties he will continue to carry out important projects such as the mural painting of the Spanish Embassy in Riyadh or the remodeling of the Santa Cruz Museum in Toledo. During these years he also made numerous trips to various European capitals and also to Latin American and North American capitals, where he visited the modern art collections of their most important museums. In 1988 he was commissioned to make the stained glass windows of the central nave of the cathedral of Cuenca, a task to which he would devote himself from 1989 to 1992. The eighties ended with an anthological exhibition dedicated to his work, organized by Caja Madrid. Subsequently, he exhibited twice at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the IVAM dedicated nine productions to him, including exhibitions and catalogs, between 1996 and 2008. In 1995 he was appointed member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. Gerardo Rueda is currently represented at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the British Museum in London, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico, Caracas and Barcelona, etc.