“A date with pop” has just been inaugurated at its Foundation in front of Plaza San Martín, curated by Rodrigo Alonso, which brings together part of his collection of modern and contemporary art.
Argentina is a land of good collectors and, in front of Plaza San Martín, you can see a good example. After the recent remodeling of its rooms, the Federico Jorge Klemm Foundation bet on valuing your modern and contemporary art collection. The current exhibition, “A date with pop”curated by Rodrigo Alonsoallows us to compare the expressions of the great geniuses of international pop such as Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, Jim Dine, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, Peter Phillips either Robert Rauschenberg, among others, with Argentine production of the same aspect. There they are Jorge de la Vega, Mildred Burton, Antonio Berni, Alberto Greco, Charlie Squirru, Silvina Benguria, Rogelio Polesello, Josefina Robirosa, Marta Peluffo, Líbero Badii, Antonio Seguí, Juan Stoppani and, among others, Klemma genuine artist.
The excellence of the complex, a generous legacy to Argentine society, becomes more evident in the 700 meters that, thanks to an extension, the viewer’s eye travels without interruptions. The white color dominates the floor, the walls, the ceiling. And the innumerable objects, such as the armchairs Maria Callas or the felt suit Joseph Beuys and that of Nureyevwhich immediately awakened the collector’s memory Federico Klemm (1942-2002), have disappeared. And they miss each other, by the way. The eccentric Federico was unconcealable.
Now its presence is reduced to a discreet-sized projection of the TV program, the “Telematic Banquet”which was never interrupted for eight years. The fame of Klemm multiplied with the “Feast…” which made him a really popular character. The artist, collector, gallery owner, amateur baritone, exalted figure of the jet set and, in his own way, art pedagogue, all together and at the same time, conquered the TV audience and contributed to changing the way of appreciating art, of seeing it. , display it and collect it.
His death in 2002, from pneumonia, left everyone in a state of shock. In fact, it took more than a decade for the National Academy of Fine Artsan institution that protects the collection with funds from his legacy, will dedicate a book to him. Today, at the entrance to the Foundation, the portrait of Marcos Lopez displays a true image. It shows a pensive Klemm, with his bright yellow wig cropped, in front of a painting of Antonio Berni. The female character in the painting has the same hair color: false and artificial. Dressed in black, with a gold bracelet and with his hands loaded with rings, the collector looks intensely at the camera. However, the exhibition captures attention. It begins with abstract expressionism of Willem de Kooningthe new figuration of Luis Felipe Noé and the spatialism of Lucio Fontana and Raquel Forner. “They are aesthetics simultaneous to the appearance of pop”observes the curator.
While going through the first thematic nucleus called “The art of things”, Rodrigo Alonso clarifies: “The title refers to a publication by Rafael Squirru that talks about the appearance of ‘things’ in art. “It is the first historical reference to Argentine pop.”. The term “things” replaces “objects” and, without a doubt, is closer to the “common things” of pop art, boxes, cans, bottles. Those “things” of everyday life, sometimes banal or simply utilitarian, that from pop demanded the contemplation of their aesthetic merits. Contemplation that was previously dedicated to objects with greater prestige.
Alonso With that nucleus he configured an “island” where he included works by pop or neo-pop artists, such as Jeff Koonswho did “things.” There is the puppy’s cardboard kennel. Pablo Suarez, the sculptures of Margarita Paksathe plaster boot Dalila Puzzoviothe intensely blue torso of Yves Kleina lounge chair Delia Cancelathe small iron Man Raya cute Edgardo Gimenez and also one of his furniture. The curator moves comfortably through the art of a period that he researched for the large exhibitions of the Proa Foundation, such as “Magnet. New York” and, in addition, among others, the mega-exhibition of the Museum of Contemporary Art, MAR, in Mar del Plata.
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Faced with the theories that define pop as the art of the inconsequential, Alonso emphasizes political aspects. With this intention, the team of soccer players painted by Elsa Soibelmanwhich, beneath its playful appearance, hides the portrait of the members of the First Government Board. One of the few paintings of Marta Minujina self-portrait sunbathing in a bikini, boasts colors that resemble those of Roy Lichtenstein. The scene, with an illusory and youthful background, shows a moment of freedom in the midst of oppression. On the other hand, the joy of pop is represented in the radiant chilies and flowers of Nicolás García Uriburuan artist who expresses his exalted vision of nature. A “Puzzle” painting by Jorge de la Vega is one of the loans that contributed to the design of the exhibition.
The exhibition analyzes the phenomenon of expansion of pop art towards happenings and performances, cinema and the media. There is the series of photos “Alberto Greco: How great you are!”the poster he posted on Corrientes Avenue, where he parodies the praise of the wither. In another series, the New Yorker Richard Avedon portrays the audience at the Factory Andy Warhol. Filmmakers, artists and avant-garde artists who Avedon He called his own studio. A similar series of photos of this “intelligent group of sexual revolutionaries” is held by the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Finally, the Di Tella Institute is present with a portfolio of international artists that it exhibited in 1966. Benguria He then portrayed the beautiful profile of Klemm.
The mark left by pop is noticeable in the new generations. The flowers of Gabriel Baggio and the works of Fabian Bercic and Daniel Basso testify to this roots. The collector did not forget to plan his contribution to young people. The 27th Klemm Prize was inaugurated together with the exhibition “Complete work”of Mariana Lopezwinner of the first prize of 2022 that is exhibited in a neighboring room.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
