Luis Claramunt. The Vertical Journey

Luis Claramunt. The Vertical Journey is the new exhibition organized by the Museum of Contemporary of Barcelona (MACBA). The show  features a broad selection of works produced by the artist in the period from the early seventies to the late nineties. Although Luis Claramunt (Barcelona, 1951 – Zarautz, 2000) is known almost exclusively for his work as a painter, this exhibition presents a complex cosmology that is nonetheless unified and consistent, based on his drawing series, his photographs and the self-published books that complement his pictorial work and go beyond it.

A self-taught artist, Claramunt belongs to a generation that tried to be of its time without belonging to it. The start of his career in the seventies coincided with the emergence of a more politicised approach to art to which most of his contemporaries subscribed, at a time when Barcelona was teeming with experimental initiatives in the spheres of art, literature and film, as well as underground subcultures.

During this period, Claramunt swam against the tide, focusing on painting rather than looking to the avant-gardes for inspiration. The finishes of naturalist painting, and in particular the work of Isidre Nonell, became the first rung of the ladder that Claramunt would build in the course of his life. The subject matter and style of his work gradually changed as Claramunt physically and socially distanced himself from Barcelona.

Dates: from July 13 to October 21.
Location: Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona. (MACBA). Plaça dels Angels, 1. 08001 Barcelona. Spain.
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays from 11am to 7.30pm. Saturdays from 10am to 8pm. Sundays from 10am to 3pm.

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