Francisco Borés

FRANCISCO BORÉS LÓPEZ (Madrid, 1898 - Paris, 1972).
"Poisson et poulet", 1948.
Oil on canvas.
Work reproduced in Bores, C., "Francisco Bores. Catalog raisonné of painting. 1945-1972", MNCARS 2003; p.97 (nº1948/10).
It has slight flaws in the frame.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Provenance: Galerie de France et du Benelux, Belgium and private collection.
Measurements: 81 x 65 cm; 88 x 73 cm (frame).
Exhibitions:
-Denmark, Aalborg Kunstsforening, 1950, no. Cat.10 not repr.
-Helsinki, galerie Artek, 1951, cat. no. 3 not rep.
-Luxembourg, musée d'Histoire et d'Art, 1976. Cat. no. 27 not repr. (with the title Le Canard-The Duck).
In this work, dated 1948, Borés offers us an interior scene constituted by an aesthetic of synthetic character in its forms and, at the same time, of great expressive intensity, constructed through wide brushstrokes that present an energetic invoice in the stroke. Thanks to the use of schematic plastic elements, the artist manages to create a tactile effect and a visual purity free of any artifice or anecdotal detail. Lyricism and color are the undisputed protagonists of this piece, in which blue dominates the entire composition, creating the forms of this synthetic still life.
Francisco Borés studied at Cecilio Pla's painting academy, where he met Pancho Cossío, Manuel Ángeles Ortiz and Joaquín Peinado, among others. He also frequented the literary gatherings in Madrid related to ultraism. During this period he made engravings for a large number of magazines, such as "Horizonte" or "Revista de Occidente", and attended the Academia Libre de Julio Moisés, where he coincided with Dalí and Benjamín Palencia. In 1922 he participates for the first time in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, and three years later he will show his work in the first Exhibition of the Society of Iberian Artists, but the lack of interest of the Madrid public for young art drives him to go to Paris. In the French capital he came into contact with Picasso and Juan Gris, and made his individual debut in 1927. The following year he had his first solo exhibition in the United States, and in 1930 he exhibited again, this time as part of a group exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. During the following years he continues to hold solo exhibitions in prominent galleries in Paris and London, among which Georges Petit and Zwemmer galleries stand out. After the Second World War he resumes his exhibition activity, and in 1947 the French State acquires, for the first time, a work by Borés. In 1949 the Museum of Modern Art in New York bought his paintings. In 1969 he exhibited at the Theo Gallery in Madrid, which meant his approach to the Spanish public, which was practically unaware of his work, except in professional circles where, on the other hand, it was highly appreciated. In 1971 he exhibited again at the same Theo Gallery, and died in Paris in 1972. The critic Joaquín de la Puente points out several stages in Borés' production: renewed classicism (1923-25), neo cubism (1925-29), fruit-painting (1929-33), interior scenes (1934-1949) and white style (1949-69). Francisco Borés is represented in the most important museums around the world, including the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, the Fine Arts Museums of Bilbao, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Gotemborg and Baltimore, the MOMA in New York, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the National Galleries of Athens, Brno and Edinburgh, the Museo Patio Herreriano in Valladolid, and the Modern Art Museums of Stockholm, Turin and Madrid.