"Modern bullfighting begins with the curves. You don't see that because you are in the ring. But before the muleteers withdraw, when they are cleaning the arena, the thing you see most clearly is the curving line of the bull being dragged out, but, depending on the ground, you can also make out perfectly the passes, the movements, the memory of the faena (the entire performance of the bullfight)." Excerpt from a conversation between Miquel Barceló and the bullfighter Luis Francisco Esplá, Nîmes 2002.
The exhibition El Planeta de los Toros is dedicated to Miquel Barceló's most recent series representing the centuries-old tradition of the Corrida, the spanish style bullfighting. Paintings, paper works, and ceramics created between 2015 and 2017 will be on view.
"We are delighted to show this extraordinary new series of Bullfighting works as our first solo exhibition. We want to thank Miquel for his trust and are thrilled to be representing him as his principal gallery. Furthermore it is an honour for me to organize this exhibition in partnership with my legendary mentor and friend Bruno Bischofberger who had exhibited Barceló since the early 1980s", states Tobias Mueller, Zurich September 2017).
Miquel Barceló was born in 1957 in Felanitx, Majorca. With his participation at the Documenta in 1982, the artist earned instant international renown. Numerous institutional and gallery exhibitions followed from Boston to Zurich. Barceló exhibited as the youngest artist ever his watercolours illustrating Dante's Divine Comedy at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 2004. After six years of work, Barceló completed his gigantic ceramic work at the Santísimo chapel of the cathedral in Palma de Mallorca in 2006. 18 months later, he finalized the 1500 m2 ceiling painting in the ellipsoidal dome in the The Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Chamber at UN in Geneva. The Prince-of-Asturias-Awardee (2003) was honoured with a solo presentation in 2009 at the Spanish Pavillon of the Venice Biennale. On the occasion of their 800-year anniversary the University of Salamanca awarded Barceló 2017 with the Doctor honoris causa title.
Selected exhibitions: Musée Picasso, Paris; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Whitechapel Art Gallery London; Musée d'Art Contemporain de Nîmes; Kunsthal Rotterdam; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Museo National del Prado, Madrid; Museo de Arte, Sâo Paulo; Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv; Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Roma; Museo Guggenheim de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo, Bilbao; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin et al.
Miquel Barceló lives and works between Majorca and Paris.
Live Performance of the artist in Zurich:
12 October, 6 PM, Music Conservatory, Florhofgasse 6, 8001 Zurich
Live performance "Limage fantôme" by Miquel Barceló and Pascal Comelade
Exhibition Opening:
12 October, 7 - 8.30 PM, Tobias Mueller Modern Art, Waldmannstrasse 8, 8001 Zurich
Publication:
The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated publication with photographs by François Halard. A de-luxe edition limited to 50 copies is available: Each copy is presented in a linen box handpainted, signed and numbered by Miquel Barceló containing an original photograph by François Halard.