Art News

The Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga shows Recent Paintings by Luc Tuymans

artwork: Luc Tuymans - "Singing Flowers", 2008 - Oil on canvas, Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, New York. On view at CAC Málaga in "Luc Tuymans: Portraits and Vegetation" until September 4th.


Málaga, Spain.- The Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga presents “Luc Tuymans: Portraits and Vegetation”, the first major exhibition of the artist’s work to be held in Spain, on view until September 4th. One of the most influent and admired european artists, Tuymans’ work, enveloped in an apparently simple narrative, has been characterized by a sombre halo that generates a tense and etherel illusory appearance. Paintings that show without allowing us to see, through the indirect allusions and references to the tragic moments of our recent memory – such as the Holocaust, that leave the responsibility of filling spaces and constructing a personal narrative of the image in hands of the spectator. “Portraits and Vegetation” brings to Málaga 16 paintings in a variety of different formats which show why Tuymans is now considered one of leading figurative artists of the current generation.

Luc Tuymans was born in Mortsel near Antwerp, Belgium. He began his studies in the fine arts at the Sint-Lukasinstituut in Brussels in 1976. Subsequently he studied fine arts at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre in Brussels, Belgium (1979–1980) and at the Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp, Belgium (1980–1982). He also studied art history at the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, Belgium (1982–1986). He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Antwerp in Antwerp, Belgium and was honored by the Belgian government when they bestowed upon him the title of Commander, Order of Leopold in 2007.

artwork: Luc Tuymans - "Der Diagnostische Blick IV", 1992 - Oil on canvas - 57 x 38 cm. Private Collection on loan to De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art, Tilburg, the Netherlands.He is married to Venezuelan artist Carla Arocha. The artist has been the focus of several retrospectives at various international institutions, including the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Illinois and the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium. Tuymans has recently been the subject of one-person exhibitions at Kabinett für Aktuelle Kunst, Bremerhaven, Germany; MuHKA Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium (both 2007); Museu Serralves, Porto, Portugal; Musee d’Art Moderne et Contemporain (MAMCO), Geneva, Switzerland (both 2006); and the Tate Modern, London, England (2004). Tuymans’ work has also featured in numerous group exhibitions.

Tuymans aroused interest in 2000 with his series of political paintings titled Mwana Kitoko (“beautiful boy”), which take themes out of the state visit of King Baudouin of Belgium in the Congo in the 1950’s. The most noted painting was of the king himself in his white military uniform. Luc Tuymans is represented by David Zwirner, New York. Work by the artist is held in the public collections of various museums, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California; Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Antwerp, Belgium; Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent, Belgium; Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany; Museum fuer Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany; and the Tate Gallery, London, England.

artwork: Luc Tuymans - "Secrets", 1990 Oil on canvas - 52 x 37cm. Private Collection. -  Courtesy Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp. The CAC Málaga is a cultural initiative of The City Council of Málaga. Its aim is the promotion and dissemination of 20th and 21st century visual art by bringing the most recent trends in contemporary art to the public, expressed through visual and audiovisual means. The project is an innovative one within Spain as it combines models of private management with the aims and ideals of public administration. The CAC Málaga was officially opened on 17 February 2003 by Their Royal Highnesses the Infanta Cristina and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarín, Dukes of Palma. Without forgetting its support for local and national artists, the CAC Málaga opened with a clearly stated mission that was directed towards international art, with the intention of becoming a reference point both on the national as well as the European circuit. A pioneering new project was thus launched, based on the model of the German “Kunsthalle”. According to this model, the Centre has been conceived as a “House of Art” which is dynamic and open to new trends and forms of expression in contemporary art and characterised by its dynamic nature, its emphasis on the dissemination of contemporary art and reflection on the issues involved in this field. The result is a wide variety of activities and a permanent reflection on contemporary art, its sources and influences. The Centre is a place which encourages local participation and places great emphasis on teaching and education.

The CAC Málaga holds exhibitions and other events of a pioneering nature within the context of Spain, strengthening the presence of artists who have never been exhibited in this country. It also offers seminars and courses with the intention of broadening knowledge and reflecting on different aspects of contemporary art. The opening of the CAC Málaga has opened up new cultural possibilities in the south of Spain and the centre was specifically created with the intention of becoming an international reference point. Since it was inaugurated, CAC Málaga has acquired a total of 57 works by local, Spanish and international artists, an increase of 15% on the total of the collection. Despite its youth and small budget, the Centre is already ranked amongst the 150 most important art centres and museums in the world. Visit the museum’s website at … http://cacmalaga.org