Art Madrid'26 – 17 Sol LeWitt`s Wall Paintings in Botin Foundation Santander

 

It is the most ambitious exhibition in Spain dedicated to this unique artist, considered by many as the father of conceptual art: Sol LeWitt. Sol LeWitt. 17 Wall Drawings. 1970-2015 will be from July 18 to January 10, 2016 in the exhibition hall of the Foundation Botín in Santander.

 

There are 16 unpublished drawings in Spain and most have not been exhibited since its first execution for 20 years, the seventeenth already seen in Madrid for more than ten years ago and all of them together, we speak of the principle that became a pillar of Sol LeWitt's work: the idea and its supremacy within the creative process of a work. The LeWitt himself always claimed that "the idea is generating machine art".

 

 

Organized in collaboration with the Yale University Art Gallery and The Estate of Sol LeWitt, the exhibition offers visitors a unique perspective of formal and conceptual evolution of mural drawing in the artist's career, the variety and persity of his artistic practice, forms (geometric figures, simple shapes, connected shapes, lines, organic forms, ...)and techniques (colored pencil, graphite, chalk, acrylic, ink ...).

 

The sample includes Wall Drawing 821A (March 2007), Wall Drawing 7A (July 2015), Wall Drawing 118 (December 1971), Wall Drawing 413 (March 1984), Wall Drawing 237 (June 1974), Wall Drawing 614 (July 1989) , Wall Drawing 620E (October 1989), Wall Drawing 51 (June 1970), Wall Drawing 46 (May 1970), Wall Drawing 869C (1998), Wall Drawing 280 (January 1976), Wall Drawing 386 (January 1983), Wall Drawing 110 (September 1971), Wall Drawing 154 (April 1973); Wall Drawing 157 (April, 1973), Wall Drawing 208 (October-November 1973) and Wall Drawing 213 (September 1973). Moreover, Wall Drawing 7A will be held for the first time in the exhibition hall of the Botín Foundation.

 

Complementing the exhibit, the public can watch the Wall Drawing # 499 (Flat-topped pyramid with color ink washes superimposed truncated -Pyramid ink washes superimposed color, 1986), installed in the auditorium of the Botin Foundation in Santander since 1992 and will be reinstalled for the exhibition.

 

 

The murals have been recreated by selected artists by the Botín Foundation, 15 artists (twelve of them Cantabria) out of 459 applications have been lucky enough to follow the guidelines, annotations, notes and notes of the creative process that many consider parents of conceptual art. LeWitt gave great value and importance to the creative process that leads the artwork, so many of his works, still alive, were performed by others with their advice.

 

In 1967 LeWitt published "Paragraphs on Conceptual Art", a true manifesto of Conceptual Art in which he stated: "each and every one of the steps -garabatos, sketches, drawings, models of discarded work, studies, or conversations- reflections that occur during the execution of the work, are of interest. Sometimes, those that show the thought process of the artist, are even more interesting than the final product. " And with that guidance they have been made the wall paintings in Santander.



Did you feel like seeing more? Or would you simply like to come back? The 360º Virtual Tour of Art Madrid’26 is now available, allowing you to explore the entire fair from anywhere, at any time.

Stroll through each stand, pause in front of the works that interest you most, and rediscover those spaces you can only truly appreciate when you have all the time in the world. No rush—just the same light and atmosphere that made this edition so special.

To bring this immersive experience to life, we once again collaborated with Coke Riera Studio and Panotour technology. The result: over 4,000 photographs captured at key points throughout the fair, transformed into a high-quality interactive experience where every detail of each artwork is within reach of your screen.


We’re delighted to continue bringing contemporary art closer to everyone in this way. Now it’s your turn: EXPLORE IT and SHARE IT with anyone you think will enjoy it as much as you do.

There’s no better time to experience Art Madrid’26—whenever you want, wherever you are.