The Copyst
2018 – present
Performance.
A copyist of an Old Masters’ museum paints live a series of oil on canvas’ installation views of a contemporary art exhibition.
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A series of European Old Masters’ museum continue the old tradition of allowing a very limited number of individuals to access their halls to make live reproductions of some of the masterpieces. The original purpose of this action was to learn directly from the original artworks.
This performance seeks to confront the European painting tradition with contemporary art production, creating an alternative documentation of an exhibition which is generated from the copyist’s direct observation of the artworks and the space.
For its first presentation at Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, I invited Román Blázquez – one of the most veteran of the authorized copyists of the Prado Museum in Madrid –, to work on a regular basis in the halls of the contemporary art center. The resultant oil-on-canvas’ copies were gradually hung on the walls on certain parts of the show, becoming part of the exhibition itself.
The performance has been enacted on three occasions, and the resultant pieces form a growing archive of painted installation views of the exhibitions the work has been presented in.
Related Publications:
· Querer parecer noche. Ed. Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo (2019).
· Cristina Garrido. The Best Job in the World. Ed. Fundación DIDAC (2022).
Exhibitions:
· Querer parecer noche (group exhibition). Cur. Beatríz Alonso, Carlos Fernández Pello. Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo (Móstoles, Spain, 2018-2019).
· La impostura (una exposición temporal) (group exhibition). Cur. Nérstor García. EACC Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo de Castellón (Castellón, Spain, 2022).
· Un hacer asociado (group exhibition). Cur. Marta Ramos-Yzquierdo. Centro Cultural de España (Montevideo, Uruguay, 2022-2023).
Collections:
· Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo – CA2M
Credits:
General installation views and details of the exhibition Querer parecer noche, Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo – CA2M (Móstoles, Madrid, 2018-2019). Performer: Román Blázquez. Images: Patricia Nieto.
Set of exhibition views that the copyst Román Blázquez painted during the exhibition Querer parecer noche, Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo – CA2M (Móstoles, Spain, 2018-2019). Performer: Román Blázquez. Depicted works by: Yabba (María Jerez), Marta Fernández Calvo, Antonio Ballester Moreno, Daisuke Kato, Angela Cuadra, Ana Laura Aláez, Elena Alonso, Hisake Ikenaga, Fran Meana, Luis Vassallo, Joan Miró. Wooden box (30 x 60 x 75 cm.) and five paintings of oil on canvas (50 x 65 cm). Images: Roberto Ruiz.
General installation views and details of the exhibition La impostura (una exposición temporal), EACC Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo de Castellón (Castellón, Spain, 2022). Performer: Mari Carmen López Olivares. Depicted works by: Tino Seghal, Gema Quiles. Images: Sofía Alemán.
· Querer parecer noche. Ed. Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo (2019).
· Cristina Garrido. The Best Job in the World. Ed. Fundación DIDAC (2022).
Exhibitions:
· Querer parecer noche (group exhibition). Cur. Beatríz Alonso, Carlos Fernández Pello. Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo (Móstoles, Spain, 2018-2019).
· La impostura (una exposición temporal) (group exhibition). Cur. Nérstor García. EACC Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo de Castellón (Castellón, Spain, 2022).
· Un hacer asociado (group exhibition). Cur. Marta Ramos-Yzquierdo. Centro Cultural de España (Montevideo, Uruguay, 2022-2023).
Collections:
· Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo – CA2M
Credits:
General installation views and details of the exhibition Querer parecer noche, Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo – CA2M (Móstoles, Madrid, 2018-2019). Performer: Román Blázquez. Images: Patricia Nieto.
Set of exhibition views that the copyst Román Blázquez painted during the exhibition Querer parecer noche, Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo – CA2M (Móstoles, Spain, 2018-2019). Performer: Román Blázquez. Depicted works by: Yabba (María Jerez), Marta Fernández Calvo, Antonio Ballester Moreno, Daisuke Kato, Angela Cuadra, Ana Laura Aláez, Elena Alonso, Hisake Ikenaga, Fran Meana, Luis Vassallo, Joan Miró. Wooden box (30 x 60 x 75 cm.) and five paintings of oil on canvas (50 x 65 cm). Images: Roberto Ruiz.
General installation views and details of the exhibition La impostura (una exposición temporal), EACC Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo de Castellón (Castellón, Spain, 2022). Performer: Mari Carmen López Olivares. Depicted works by: Tino Seghal, Gema Quiles. Images: Sofía Alemán.
