Francisco de Corcuera: Tangier Enigma

28 Jun-2 Aug 2024

Overview

Robilant+Voena is pleased to announce an exhibition of paintings by Francisco de Corcuera in our London gallery. The exhibition evokes the atmosphere of the artist's Tangier milieu, full of intrigue, presenting a selection of portraits exhibited for the first time, revealing a more intimate side of the Chilean artist.

A poet, artist, and all-round enigmatic personality of Tangier, de Corcuera is best known for his abstract geometric paintings. These works are underpinned by his philosophic preoccupations which are shaped by his strong Catholic upbringing, experienced through his expressive, artistic personality. Throughout his oeuvre, de Corcuera investigates the very embodiment of thinking, exploring the dichotomy of living within regulated structures imposed by Western religions while accepting the natural, unpredictable flow of life.

In our exhibition, curated by Roberto Peregalli and Luca Stoppini, a selection of de Corcuera's signature geometric paintings are shown alongside portraits that have never been exhibited before, offering a more personal side to the artist. The selection of anonymous male and female portraits intertwine elements of European and South American cultures, inextricably linked to the artist's own biography. The paintings present figurative representations of characters that are as much a reflection of the artist's own personality as a faithful likeness of those around him. Many of the portraits evoke a bygone era, the sombre colours creating a mood of mystery and opulence.

De Corcuera's signature geometrical flourishes punctuate these paintings, through superimposed words and grids, and trompe l'oeil touches that appear like collaged strips of paper, both hiding and revealing multiple layers of meaning.

Born in 1944 in Santiago, Francisco de Corcuera studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, and at the University of Chile, before completing a doctorate at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. After living and working in New York and in various cities in Europe, he moved to Tangier, Morocco, where he has lived and worked for over twenty years.

His signature abstract geometric paintings combine mathematical formulae and equations, interspersed with illusionistic elements that appear like scraps of paper or collages on the surface of the work, alluding to the historic trompe l'oeil device. The exploration of mathematical structures alongside these artistic flourishes, set against backgrounds of colours that shift and coalesce, reflect the artist's philosophical preoccupations with the dichotomy of religious and cultural frameworks and the unpredictability of life.

De Corcuera has participated in several individual and group exhibitions in galleries and museums around the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tangier, Morocco; Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago, Chile; Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm; Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm. De Corcuera's works have been acquired by numerous private and public collections such as the Modern Museum Museet, Stockholm; the Malmo Museum, Sweden; Museum of Modern Art, Santiago de Chile; the United Nations Collection and the The Citibank Collection, New York.

Press

Francisco de Corcuera: Tangier Enigma- press release
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