The Museo de Arte de Ponce presents Emilio Sanchez: Light, Line, and Shadow, an exhibition on view April 14, 2012 – April 15, 2013.
Emilio Sanchez, Museo de Arte de Ponce
The occasion for this show is the donation of over 400 art works made to the museum by the Emilio Sanchez Foundation. Sanchez, who died in 1999, was born in Camagüey, Cuba, in 1921. He lived in Havana from 1932 to 1952, when he moved permanently to New York City. A tireless traveler, Sanchez felt a special attraction for Morocco, an exotic destination whose architectural lines and shapes became a hallmark of his work, as did the vibrant colors of the Caribbean, particularly Puerto Rico and the grays and severe geometry of the urban landscape of the Bronx. Sanchez was a prolific artist in such media as painting, prints, and drawing. In 1972, he won first prize in the 3rd San Juan Biennial of Latin American Prints—just one of a number of important prizes he garnered in international competitions. His work figures in the collections of institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of New York, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana, and the MoMA in New York City. A successful career allowed him to found the Emilio Sanchez Foundation, whose major goal is to raise funds for research in eye disease, since Sanchez labored under a severe loss of vision his entire life. In his later years, this condition led to total blindness in one of his eyes, though it never prevented him from continuing to paint. In his will, Sanchez asked that his work be donated to institutions of recognized prestige in order to ensure its preservation and bring it to the knowledge and enjoyment of a wide public. The Museo de Arte de Ponce was selected from among an impressive list of art institutions as the recipient of this major donation. “We had the opportunity to learn about Emilio Sanchez deep love for Puerto Rico which harmonizes with having found in this Island an institution of the esteem of Museo de Arte de Ponce with an admirable profile of sustained work on behalf of the culture and art. We are confident the spread of Emilio Sanchez legacy stays in suitable hands”, said Anne Knoll, Executive Director of the Foundation Emilio Sanchez. Sanchez always loved landscape and architecture. Although his work includes still-lifes and other subjects, it is recognized especially for its landscapes, in which the contrast between light and shadow, and the geometric patterns, whether forced or accidental, that result from them, are major features. This visual impact was also explored by Sanchez in the Caribbean, in Morocco, and in the rigid outlines of the city. His figurative work evolved, little by little, into a very personal abstraction in which Sanchez gradually stripped away all unnecessary elements, emphasizing the geometry and the play of planes in search of the purest essence. According to his critics, “Emilio Sanchez never really embraced the idea of abstraction identified with the New York School,” a comment that reaffirms the fact that Sanchez created his own abstract iconography. This slow transition toward abstraction is precisely the theme of the exhibit Emilio Sanchez: Light, Line, and Shadow. “A sequential tour of Sanchez’ work will allow visitors to the museum to see the metamorphosis of everyday elements into a more abstract idiom and symbolism, and this might, in turn, lead viewers to look a little more closely at abstraction, but from the point of view of Sanchez’ particular genius,” noted María Arlette de la Serna, the Museo de Arte de Ponce’s assistant curator. The exhibitions Art in Response: Luis Camnitzer and Emilio Sanchez: Light, Line, and Shadow run parallel to the 3rd San Juan Poly/Graphic Triennial: Latin America and the Caribbean, an international art event that highlights experimental practices in contemporary art, with an emphasis on prints and their many manifestations, generally works on paper.
For more information go to www.museoarteponce.org or call 787-840-1510 or 787-848-0505.