FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 XMas (Juana Mordó Gallery). 1973 Etching on Guarro paper used as a Christmas greeting for Juana Mordó's friends and clients Signed in pencil Edition of 450 copies Measurements 17 x 11.5 cm Published by Juana Mordó Gallery, Madrid 1973 Attached is a certificate signed and sealed by the Punto Gallery, Valencia 2017 PROVENANCE Juana Mordó Gallery, Madrid Punto Gallery, Valencia Private collection BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Complete Graphic Works", Provincial Council of Cuenca 1999, No. 150, pages. 154-155
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 The Garden (State V). 1973 Etching, strawberry and drypoint on Arches paper Signed in pencil P/A (artist's proof) from an edition of 50 copies Dimensions 24.5 x 32 cm (print); 38 x 49.5 cm (paper) Print Pancho and Charo Ortuño 1973 PROVENANCE (label on the back) Juan Gris Gallery, Madrid Private collection BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Obra Gráfica completa", Diputación Provincial de Cuenca 1999, No. 141. Page 147
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Puerto de Santa María (State VI-B). 1973 Etching on paper Signed in pencil HC (Hors Commerce); from an edition of 50 copies Dimensions 32 x 24.5 cm (print); 50.5 x 38 cm (paper) Print Pancho and Charo Ortuño 1973 PROVENANCE Juan Gris Gallery, Madrid Private collection BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Complete Graphic Works", Provincial Council of Cuenca 1999, No. 148. Page 151
Silkscreen on paper. Signed in the lower left corner. Numbered (188/460) in the lower right corner. Published by the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca. Bibliography: - PÉREZ-MADERO, Rafael.: Zóbel. Complete Graphic Works. Provincial Council of Cuenca. Cuenca, 1999. Pages 223-224. Cat. No.: 199.
Gestos XXIX - Climbing signed (lower left and verso), dated 1979 and inscribed "GESTOS XXIX 79-10" (verso) oil on canvas 24" x 16" (61 cm x 41 cm) LITERATURE: De la Torre, Alfonso and Rafael Pérez-Madero. Fernando Zóbel: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (1946 - 1984). Madrid: Fundación Azcona, 2022. Listed as "nº 79-10" with painting description on page 588. In the 1970s, Fernando Zobel reached perhaps what would be a zenith of his career. This prolific decade saw the abstractionist reach heights greater than he had previously done, with the series El Júcar and La Vista setting the tone his 1970s would pose. However, perhaps the greatest of his 1970s series is his Serie Blanca. The artist's most lyrical and most enigmatic work of fiction, it is what art critic Emmanuel Torres describes as Zobel' s "progression from the material to the spiritual." "After twelve years spent studying color, in the final pictures of La Vista, Zóbel's painting becomes predominantly white,” adds his biographer Angeles Villalba Salvador. “He thus commences the series, Serie Blanca, which he will continue until 1978." Serie Blanca would be the pinnacle of Zobel’s abstraction, his works pushing the common color of white to its limits and then well beyond it, It is a series of works that Villalba Salvador describes as “characterized by infinitely degraded whites, which distribute spaces and volumes and seem to lose themselves on the edges of the canvas.” “With Serie Blanca, the thematic aspect is broadened: light, volume, form, gesture, anatomies, still lifes, and, of course, themes from the history of art,” Villalba Salvador continues. It is then with this eminent series that another body of work came out. A series within a series, Gestos – meaning gesture in Spanish – shed Serie Blanca’s interest in the figure, transferring it to the various ways in which the human body rearranges itself. “It is no longer a question of its movement, as in the previous stage, but of rest between two movements and, in particular, the gestures made by children,” Villalba Salvador writes. As such, Gestos XXIX – Climbing follows the movement of climbing, the sole black gesture at the middle reminiscent of the cracks and outcrops one might need to step on to climb to the top. Gestos – as a series and as an individual work – is an outstanding example of Zobel’s unique brand of minimalism, an abstractionist reduction that has been his signature and is recognizable as uniquely Zobel’s for the decades to come. He traversed into pure non-objectivism, his gestural lines dissolving into ambiguity that is both intricate and sublime. (Hannah Valiente)
Tomás II signed (lower left and verso), dated 1978 and inscribed "TOMAS II, 78-61" (verso) oil on canvas 31 1/2" x 31 1/2" (80 cm x 80 cm) LITERATURE: De la Torre, Alfonso and Rafael Pérez-Madero. Fernando Zóbel: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (1946 - 1984). Madrid: Fundación Azcona, 2022. Listed as "nº 78-61" with full-color illustration on page 579 and painting description on page 578. Zobel’s Serie Blanca is perhaps the zenith of his career. After a series of experimentations with colors, he has now turned to white and its endlessly lyrical possibilities. “It is not a matter of abandoning color to paint in black and white, it is a matter of gradually reducing the color until there is nothing left but warm grays and cold grays,” Rafael Pérez-Madero writes about Serie Blanca. Indeed, Serie Blanca, if possible, pushes his oeuvre to its extreme, becoming more self-sufficient in its bareness. Its lyricism is laid bare, harmony, tranquility, and order evident despite the apparent emptiness of the piece. As such, Tomás II belongs to such a series, echoing what his biographer Angeles Villalba Salvador describes as “characterized by infinitely degraded whites, which distribute spaces and volumes and seem to lose themselves on the edges of the canvas.” With precise and painstaking vision, Zobel pushes white to its absolute limits, creating a unique brand of minimalism that transcends into pure nonobjectivism that is both intricate and sublime. “This time it is not a theme that is worked to exhaustion, as in previous cycles. The theme is even broader, using more subjects to be based on, landscapes, still lifes, gestures, movements, lights, contrasts, etc., although this is only an anecdote of which there is hardly any trace left,” Pérez Madero adds. “This time, it is a matter of achieving the maximum with the minimum of resources. ”
PROPERTY FROM THE PROFESSOR AMBETH R. OCAMPO COLLECTION Iris signed (lower left and verso), dated 1980 (verso) and inscribed "para Paula, con un gran / abrazo, de su padrino" (lower left) oil on canvas 16" x 16" (40.64 cm x 40.64 cm) PROVENANCE | Acquired from Arturo R. Luz, Manila LITERATURE De la Torre, Alfonso and Rafael Pérez-Madero. Fernando Zóbel: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (1946 - 1984). Madrid: Fundación Azcona, 2022. Listed as "no 80-58" with illustration and painting description on page 612. A Gift to a Fellow Modernist's Daughter Fernando Zobel and Paola Luz by HANNAH VALIENTE - Upon his return to Manila in 1952, Zobel fell into a group of young artists who exhibited at the Philippine Art Gallery, then the home court of the burgeoning modernism movement. Among his growing list of friends is Arturo Luz, a then-emerging abstract artist who would eventually rise to receive the highest accolade for the arts, the Order of National Artists. Zobel proved such a close bond with the artist when, in 1980, he gifted Luz’s daughter – and Zobel’s goddaughter – Paola the lot in hand Iris. Paola who was then 16 at the time of Iris’s creation was already a passionate photographer at her young age, a love that started when a Japanese artist who exhibited at the Luz Gallery gifted the teenager with a Japanese camera. Her fervent love affair with photography grew and she celebrated her 18th birthday with an exhibition of her photographs at the Luz Gallery. Zobel’s Iris perfectly encapsulates young Paola’s passion for photography. In a camera, the iris acts as the device’s “eye;” more specifically, the iris is a circular device that controls the amount of light that enters the camera, that is the exposure that makes or breaks one’s photo. In one full swoop, Zobel’s Iris not only serves as a truly thoughtful gift to his goddaughter but also serves as an analogy to Zobel’s abstractive career. Like a camera’s iris, Zobel’s abstractions push the boundaries of light and shadow, of black and white and the grays in between, an experimentation that led to two of his most popular series: the Serie Negra which began in 1959 and ended in 1963 and his Serie Blanca series, a body of work that spanned from 1975 to 1978.
Azul sobre pardo (Saeta 258) / (Blue on Brown) signed and inscribed "258" (verso) dated 1959 oil and metallic paint on canvas 27 1/2" x 39 3/8" (70 cm x 100 cm) PROVENANCE : Aurelio Biosca, Madrid Private Collection, Madrid Acquired from the above EXHIBITED : Galería Biosca, Fernando Zóbel expone cuadros y dibujos, Madrid, 20 May - 3 June 1959 The Link, Art Fair Philippines 2019, Makati City, 22 - 24 February 2019 Galeria Mayoral, Zobel. An Artist From Three Continents, Paris, 19 May - 16 June 2022 LITERATURE: De la Torre, Alfonso and Rafael Pérez-Madero. Fernando Zóbel: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (1946 - 1984). Madrid: Fundación Azcona, 2022. Listed as "no 59-17" with full-color illustration and painting description on page 162. An Exceptionally Rare Blue Saeta One of Only Nine of its Kind by ADRIAN MARANAN "In a theoretical sense, I knew it was possible to paint abstractly, but Rothko's demonstration convinced me completely... I felt obliged to paint, but I had abandoned the need to represent. This left me in a vacuum. Almost at the same time, I discovered photography’s ability to preserve the image in a manner I felt far superior to the resources of painting. I felt obliged to paint, but I had abandoned the need to represent. This left me in a kind of vacuum. A vacuum that turned into two years of experiments and into a huge pile of destroyed paintings, until I found my theme in the technique that led to the series of Saetas." FERNANDO ZÓBEL, IN HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH RAFAEL PEREZ-MADERO, PUBLISHED IN PEREZ-MADERO’S “LA SERIE BLANCA” (1978) - In a fitting culmination to Fernando Zóbel's birth centennial celebrations, an extremely rare blue Saeta goes under the block in León Gallery’s year-end sale. Titled Azul sobre pardo (Saeta 258), the work is one of only nine "blue Saetas" existing, as pointed out by Alfonso de la Torre, renowned Spanish art critic and author of the authoritative catalogue raisonné of Zóbel's works. In fact, one of the eight “blue Saetas,” Saeta 44, now hangs at Singapore's National Gallery. Another one, Ku III (Blanco sobre azul) is in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Collection, while Saeta 42 (Bermellon sobre azul ultramar) is in the Ateneo Art Gallery. Forma VI/Saeta VI (Raya amarilla sobre fondo azul transparente) is in Madrid’s Fundación Juan March Collection. Pájaro de Fuego (1959) is in the Del Monte Corporation Collection. Forma IV – Saeta IV (Naranja sobre azul grisáceo) (1957), Corona II (Naranja sobre azul verdoso) (1957), and Saeta 50 (Rojo sobre negro azulado) (1958) are in private collections. Painted by the artist in Madrid, Azul sobre pardo was one of the works in Zóbel's first solo exhibition in Spain—Zóbel: Pinturas y dibujos held at Madrid's Galería Biosca. Zóbel's biographer, Angeles Villalba Salvador, notes that the exhibition was "the first time that Juana Mordo, the director of the Galería Biosca at the time, has held an exhibition of an abstract artist's work." Mordo would also become Zóbel's gallerist. Zóbel's "Saetas" paintings remain one of the most coveted in his oeuvre as approximately only 85 to a hundred paintings in this series were said to be painted by the artist over a span of only two years, from 1957 to 1959. Zóbel’s Saetas as his first works of pure abstraction. In a 1978 interview with his dear friend Rafael Perez-Madero, Zóbel remarked that he deemed his Saetas his first works on abstraction, "leaving aside a few unsuccessful experiments," he said. In 1953, Zobel first ventured into non-objectivism, gracing the landmark exhibition of non-objective art organized by the Philippine Art Gallery—"The First Exhibition of Non- Objective Art in Tagala," in which his two entries, Snappers and Plaza, were pronounced the "most distinguished" in the exhibition catalog authored by the esteemed poet-critic Aurelio Alvero aka "Magtanggul Asa." However, Zóbel destroyed many of his pre-Saetas non-objective paintings, as he found "such endeavors to be lacking in meaning and also somewhat incoherent," as Villalba Salvador puts it. One surviving work from 1953 was auctioned by León Gallery in September 2023. But by 1954, Zóbel would finally bind his affinity for non- objectivism. While attending the Rhode Island School of Design as a resident artist, which was made possible through the support of his close friends, the couple James and Reed Pfeufer, Zóbel graced an exhibition of a then-unknown Mark Rothko titled Recent Paintings by Mark Rothko. He would visit the exhibition every day, trying to figure out the power those paintings of sheer color expressiveness had on him. Zóbel would write in his diary, "I am surprised at the way those gigantic colored squares resist being forgotten." In early 1955, while visiting the Alhambra in Granada, Zóbel marveled at its architecture, seeing them as evoking Rothko's distilled sophistication. He wrote in his diary, "With every single refinement, I can think of Rothko again." Zóbel, who would abandon figuration owing to Rothko's pervasive influence, had questioned his Baroque sensibilities and the need for figuration when it is possible to reduce painting and still retain its expressiveness through the mere use of color. At the same time, towards the end of 1954, Zóbel had discovered that photography, "with its direct images, satisfies his desire to reproduce the themes to which he is drawn," as Villalba Salvador puts it. The art of photography, which his friend Ronald Blinks had introduced to him, added to Zóbel increasing agitation in his art. Fast forward to 1956, Zóbel went to Japan on an Ayala-related business trip. Taking as many photographs as he could, Zóbel visited the Temples of Ryōan-ji, its sand garden in Kyoto, and the stone gardens of the Daisen Temple. Returning to Manila, Zóbel would renovate his house, imbuing it with a calming sense evoking Japanese Zen aesthetics. Memory, which would become integral to Zóbel's praxis in the decades to come, had shaped his soft spot for abstraction; it liberated his restless artistic vision. The Saetas as a harmonious synthesis of the East and West Combining the Western (Rothko) and the Eastern (Oriental aesthetics), the Saetas of Zóbel were born. Permanently veering away from figuration, Zóbel turned to gestural painting as a means to capture movement through line—"the movement of leaves, of vegetation, of birds, of people; movement observed and felt, never imitated, yet, I hope, clearly expressed," as he said to Perez-Madero in a conversation. In his Saetas, the dynamic spontaneity of Oriental art, particularly calligraphy that evokes a "swift yet confident" character, is combined with the influence of Rothko's color fields, with all the diversity of moods they elicit through the expressive ability of color. óbel himself said in a March 24, 1972 interview with noted writer Armando Manalo, "My paintings in motion are closely related to Oriental painting. The series Saetas was inspired by Japanese sand gardens. All those lines, painstakingly drawn with a rake, give off a disturbing effect."
Orilla 69. En Amarillo y Gris signed (lower left and verso), dated 1982 and inscribed "82-5, ORILLA 69 EN AMARILLO Y GRIS" (verso) oil on canvas 59" x 39 3/8" (150 cm x 100 cm) PROVENANCE: Rafael Perez Madero Collection, Spain; Fundacion Caja, Madrid; Private Collection, Philippines (by 1990); Acquired from the above EXHIBITED: Obra Cultural Monte de Piedad y Caja de Ahorros de Sevilla, Sala de Exposiciones El Monte, Fernando Zóbel (First Retrospective Exhibition), Sevilla, October 1983 Museo de Arte Abstracto Español de Cuenca, Fernando Zóbel. Rio Jucar, Cuenca, 17 December 1994 - 16 April 1995 Sala de Exposiciones BBK (Fundacion Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa Fundazioa), Fernando Zóbel, Organized by Rafael Perez-Madero, Bilbao, 1998 Sala Amos Salvador de Cultural Rioja, Zóbel. Espacio y color, Organized by Rafael Perez-Madero, Logroño, 1998 LITERATURE: De la Torre, Alfonso and Rafael Pérez-Madero. Fernando Zóbel: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (1946 - 1984). Madrid: Fundación Azcona, 2022. Listed as "nº 82-5" with full-color illustration and painting description on page 635. Zóbel’s Orilla, His Last Series Reveling in the Peace and Serenity of the Júcar Riverbanks In 1980, Zóbel visited Manila, in what would become the very last time he would spend time in his birthplace. Unfortunately, Zóbel fell ill due to a brain hemorrhage, an affliction that would still manifest even after he had already recovered. This unfortunate period in Zóbel’s life triggered his depression, spiraling down into creative stagnation and anxiety. “Drawing now loses its central role of previous stages to fuse completely with color,” Zóbel’s biographer Angeles Villalba Salvador wrote. “He also starts to use new materials, such as the pencil for drafts and pastel. As a result of this depression, Zóbel destroys many of these pictures and devotes more time to photography, focusing once more on the River Júcar and its banks on the outskirts of Cuenca. These photographs are the starting point of his last series of paintings, Las Orillas (Variaciones sobre un río) (1979-1982).” Zóbel’s Las Orillas stemmed from his rediscovery that his life and art had always revolved around Cuenca and its River Jucar, flowing right through his heart and penetrating his soul more than ever. The majestic river became the remedy to Zóbel’s desolation. It can be remembered that in 1971, Zóbel started to manifest his profound love of Cuenca through his El Jucar series. Villalba Salvador wrote: “During this period, Diálogos is followed by series relating to Cuenca landscapes, anatomies, and football. Cuenca and its river, the Júcar, and the views from the high part of the city will be the central features in two of the landscape series of this period: El Júcar (1971-1972) and La Vista(1972-1974).” The Spanish art and literature critic Juan Manuel Bonet wrote in his essay Fernando Zobel: Revisited that “it was the Júcar itself…that governed Zóbel’s movements: the way he wandered so close to the water, looked at himself in its surface as if in a mirror, the way he expressed the sweetness of light among the trees.” Wrote the esteemed John Berger in his landmark essay Ways of Seeing, “The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe…Soon after we can see, we are aware that we can also be seen. The eye of the other combines with our own eye to make it fully credible that we are part of the visible world.” In essence, Zobel saw himself through the Jucar’s glimmering reflections, seeing a man who still had his art as his never-ending source of saving grace and unfaltering spring from which his wearied soul drank forth, ultimately casting all his anxieties and doubts into his canvas. In Orilla 69, subtitled en Amarillo y Gris, Zóbel suffuses patches of yellowish browns that evoke the Jucar riverbanks’ dormant vegetation during winter. Zóbel painted the work on January 11, 1982, during the coldest month of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, where Spain lies. The soothing coolness of the canvas, emphasized by Zóbel’s juxtaposition of the yellowish browns with the overall white gray finish captures a cozy view of the River Jucar in winter. The new year had just passed when Zóbel painted Orilla 69. In a way, the work encapsulates Zóbel’s hopes for the coming of new days, in which he willfully continues to live and breathe the River Jucar’s calming breeze as if it were his lifeblood. True enough, Zóbel intimately saw the river as inseparable from his earthly life, the balsam that nourishes his failing health yet still resilient soul. Two years later, in 1984, Zóbel would die from a heart attack at the age of 60. In accordance with his will, he was buried in the San Isidro burial grounds, located in Cuenca’s highest point and overlooking the River Jucar. Now, Zóbel and his beloved river are in a joyous and hallowed communion.
A 20th century lithograph by Spanish Filipino modernist Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo (1924-1984). Inscribed "I-Velado, muy transparante / Tierra siena natural + algo / de negro marfil, contra / la misma Tierra cruzdada / con azul cobalto clara." Framed.
Fernando Zóbel 1924 - 1984 Espacio de espera II signed Zobel (lower right); numbered 71-2, inscribed Para Eulecia y / Lalo, and signed Zobel (on the reverse) oil on canvas 38.5 by 46.1 cm. 15 ⅛ by 18 ⅛ in. Executed in 1971. ---------------------------------------------- 費南度·索培爾 1924 - 1984 年 等待的空間 II 款識 Zobel（右下） 71-2，Para Eulecia y/ Lalo，Zobel（作品背面） 油畫畫布 38.5 x 46.1 公分 15 ⅛ x 18 ⅛ 英寸 1971年作
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Melainos III (Sole State). 1978 Heliogravure on handmade paper by Segundo Santos with the Zóbel anagram. Cuenca, August 1978 Signed in pencil and titled Numbered 18/40 Measurements 18.5 x 18.5 cm (print); 50 x 35.5 cm (paper) The lined plate is property of Helmut Steindl, Munich BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Obra Gráfica completa", Diputación Provincial de Cuenca 1999, No. 186, p. 197
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 XMas . 1973 Etching on Guarro paper used as a Christmas greeting for the friends and clients of the Juana Mordó Gallery Signed in pencil by the artist Signed and dedicated by the gallery owner Juana Mordó Edition of 450 copies Measurements 17 x 11.5 cm Published by the Juana Mordó Gallery, Madrid 1973 PROVENANCE (stamp on the back) Juana Mordó Gallery, Madrid Private collection BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Obra Gráfica completa", Diputación Provincial de Cuenca 1999, No. 150, page 155
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Frozen Wave. 1971 Offset-Lithograph on paper Signed in pencil Numbered R (after) Measurements 40 x 35 cm PROVENANCE Juana de Aizpuru Gallery, Madrid Private collection
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 El Vivero . 1976 Lithograph on paper Signed in pencil and titled Numbered 7/96 (unique state) Measurements 49.5 x 66 cm Published by Fernando Zóbel 1976 PROVENANCE Juana de Aizpuru Gallery, Madrid Private collection BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Complete Graphic Works", Provincial Council of Cuenca 1999, No. 177. Page 179
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Notebook of Notes. 1974 Book containing a small ink drawing by the artist on the first page Signed in ink and dedicated Unknown edition Dimensions 18.6 x 12 cm Published by Galería Juana Mordó, Madrid 1974 Notebook of Notes on painting and other things. Collection of quotes collected by Fernando Zóbel. Galería Juana Mordó, Madrid 1974
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Zóbel, drawings. 1963 Book containing 27 lithographs by the artist on Guarro paper, signed on the plate and accompanied by a study by Antonio Lorenzo Signed in ink, dedicated and dated 1963 by the artist in the prologue Numbered 38/999 Measurements 23.5 x 31.2 x 1.5 cm Printed in Altamira, Madrid 1963 It has a small ink drawing on the first page, along with the signature and dedication
Oil on canvas Signed in the lower right corner. On the back dated, titled, signed and located: "Mad 26 Junio 1973" Painted in Madrid Noted in Zobel's Notebook: "In black and white" Bibliography: De la Torre, Alfonso (Director), in collaboration with Perez-Madero, Rafael, "Catalogue Reasoned of Paintings by Fernando Zobel". Madrid-Manila: Azcona Foundation, Juan March Foundation, Ayala Foundation and Heirs of Fernando Zobel, 2023, p. 481, cat. nº 73-32 We would like to thank Don Alfonso de la Torre for his help in cataloging this work. Measurements: 80 x 80 cm
limited edition of 1500 copies by Fundacion Juan March on the 50th Anniversary Museo de Arte Abstracto Español de Cuenca, 2016 print 6 3/4" x 9 1/2" (17 cm x 24 cm) each
FERNANDO ZÓBEL (Manila, Philippines, 1924 - Rome, Italy, 1984). "Seville, winter at four o'clock in the afternoon", 1968. Oil on canvas. Signed, titled on the back. Work referenced in : DE LA TORRE, Alfonso (Director). In collaboration with PÉREZ-MADERO Rafael. Catalog Raisonné of Paintings of Fernando Zóbel. Madrid-Manila: Azcona Foundation, Juan March Foundation, Ayala Foundation and Heirs of Fernando Zóbel, 2023 Ref. 78-76, Page 585. Exhibited in Palma de Mallorca, Pelaires Gallery, 1969. Measurements: 80 x 100 cm; 83 x 103 cm (frame). The subtlety of the transit between the architectural and the landscape, between memory and reality, is manifested in many of Fernando Zóbel's mature works, and in this painting of 1969 it reaches high quotas of genius. A soft, almost vaporous range, complemented with linear elements that form an architectural structure (a corridor, a door) dilutes the material in a field of spiritual light. The use of reflections dialogues with the chromatic harmony (pure play of ochre and earth tones), bringing together apparently irreconcilable realities: matter and spirit, architecture and landscape, line and atmosphere, painting and pictography. The result is a work of great lyrical content. Zóbel dedicated an extensive pictorial series to the city and landscape of Seville, in which the artist expressed the accumulation of sensations that the local light brought him in winter. Historian, patron of the arts, university professor and collector are some of the adjectives corresponding to the figure of Fernando Zóbel, one of the most outstanding painters of the 20th century in Spain. The formation and cultivation of his personality, never ceases to develop, highlighting his love for books. He studied Medicine in the Philippines and graduated in Philosophy and Arts at Harvard University in the United States, being at this time when he became interested and involved with the pictorial world influenced by the Boston School, whose palette showed almost pure colors framed by a very marked drawing. Thus, in 1951 he took up the chair of Fine Arts at the Ateneo de Manila. Zóbel's evolution and need to develop a personal artistic language led him to explore the world of abstraction influenced by Rothko, or the expressionism of Pollock or de Kooning, working on very valid non-figurative proposals. To this, it is necessary to add the great influence and interest he felt towards oriental cultures, increasing this eagerness with his participation in a Chinese archaeological excavation discovered in the Philippine peninsula of Calatagan. As it was said, Zóbel's work drinks from the East, so much so that oriental calligraphy is the one that favors the presence of sinuous lines of great elegance, which can be appreciated in the work that concerns us, in which the meticulous and thoughtful previous work can be appreciated. And there is nothing left to chance in his apparently spontaneous painting, all contain a period of reflection and previous execution, because, as he said: "my process is the process of sketch, drawing, sketch and painting", a planning that results in perfect scenographies formed by movement, lines, speed, space and light. His work is represented in important museums such as the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Español in Valladolid, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao, the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York, the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha (Nebraska), the Hispanic Society of America, as well as in collections such as Chase Manhattan Bank, the AENA Art Collection of Contemporary Art in Madrid, and the Banco Urquijo in Barcelona.
Silkscreen on paper. Signed in the lower left corner. Numbered (328/460) in the lower right corner. Published by the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca. Bibliography: - PÉREZ-MADERO, Rafael: Zóbel. Complete Graphic Works. Provincial Council of Cuenca. Cuenca, 1999. Pages 224-225. Cat. No.: 200. Col. Rep.
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Football (Diagonal Deportiva) State X. 1973-1974 Etching on Guarro paper Signed in pencil Numbered 17/35 Measurements 13 x 16.5 cm (print); 26.5 x 33.5 cm (paper) Latest State, taken from the unused plate with a drill. Original cloth-covered folder attached + Justification of the edition signed in pencil by the artist and numbered 17/35 BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Obra Gráfica completa", Diputación Provincial de Cuenca 1999, No. 136. Page 143
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Untitled (Art Games No. 14). 1983 Game of balls on an etching and aquatint on paper Signed in pencil Numbered 44/195 Measurements 18.5 x 18.5 x 2 cm Published by Galería Estampa, Madrid 1983 On the back Justification of the edition numbered 44/195 PROVENANCE (labels on the back) Galería Estampa, Madrid Galería Kreisler Dos, Madrid Private collection
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Football (Diagonal Deportiva) State IV. 1973-1974 Etching on Canson paper Signed in pencil Numbered 24/65 Dimensions 11.5 x 16.3 cm (print); 24.6 x 32 cm (paper) BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Obra Gráfica completa", Diputación Provincial de Cuenca 1999, No. 130. Page 140
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Untitled Offset-Lithograph on paper Signed in pencil Numbered R (after) Measurements 46 x 48.5 cm PROVENANCE Juana de Aizpuru Gallery, Madrid Private collection
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 November II. 1978 Watercolor, ink and pencil on paper Signed, dedicated and dated 1979 Measurements 29 x 38 cm Poplars by the Júcar near Valdeganga. Sun contrasts; crystalline effect, both in greens and carmines, the days very clear and almost fraternal. In Cuenca, on the return from the trip to Almagro, on November 28, 1978.
Fernando Zobel (1924 - 1984) Signed and dated '66' (1966, lower left) Oil on canvas 61 x 91.4 cm (24 x 36 in) Literature: Alfonso de la Torre, Rafael Perez-Madero, Fernando Zobel. Catalogue Raisonne of Paintings 1946-1984, Azcona Foundation, Madrid, 2022, no 66-15, p. 328 Provenance: Private Collection, Manila In the mid-1960s, Fernando Zobel embarked on a transformative journey that redefined his artistic career, marking a decisive shift from his earlier 'Serie Negra' (1959 - 1963). This period saw Zobel venture further into the realms of abstraction and minimalism, honing his focus on monochromatic canvases. During these transitional years, Zobel refined his exploration of texture, light, and shadow, adopting a more restrained palette. His works from this era, such as the lot on offer, embody this evolution, serving as a bridge between the 'Serie Negra' and the later 'Serie Blanca' (1975 - 1978). The year 1966 was especially pivotal for Zobel, as he founded and inaugurated the Museo de Arte Abstracto Espanol in Cuenca, Spain. This museum, which would expand in the 1970s and was described by MoMA founder and first director Alfred Barr as 'the most beautiful small museum in the world,' played a crucial role in promoting abstract art and solidified Zobel's influence on the modern art scene. Reference: 'Chronology.' Fernando Zobel. https://fernandozobel.es/en/index.html.
Fernando Zobel (1924 - 1984) Signed (lower left and on verso) and dated '79-10' (1979, on verso) Oil on canvas 60 x 40 cm (24 x 16 in) Literature: Alfonso de la Torre, Rafael Perez-Madero, Fernando Zobel. Catalogue Raisonne of Paintings 1946-1984, Azcona Foundation, Madrid, 2022, no 79-10, p. 588 As we commemorate the centennial of Fernando Zobel's birth in 2024, we celebrate one of the most influential figures in Philippine modern art. Born in Manila in 1924, Zobel made groundbreaking contributions through his innovative artwork and pivotal roles as a curator and philanthropist. His visionary approach to abstract art earned him acclaim and was instrumental in establishing both the Museo de Arte Abstracto Espanol in Cuenca, Spain, and the Ateneo Art Gallery in the Philippines. Fernando Zobel's career is marked by a relentless quest for new artistic expressions, evident in his evolving series of works. His exploration of abstract art is particularly reflected in the different phases of his career, each representing a unique aspect of his artistic journey. The 'Serie Blanca' (1975 - 1978) was a transformative period for Zobel, during which he shifted his focus to depicting the rest and posture of figures rather than their dynamic movements. This phase laid the groundwork for his later works, including the 'Gestos' series. 'Serie Blanca' represents a significant evolution in Zobel's abstract art, characterized by a focus on subtlety and texture, moving away from the more energetic forms of his earlier works. Within the Serie Blanca, the 'Gestos' series, created from 1977 to 1979, stands out for its innovative approach to depicting human gestures and movement within an abstract framework. The Spanish term 'gestos,' meaning gestures, aptly reflects the series' focus on capturing subtle body movements and expressions. Unlike his earlier 'Serie Negra' and 'Saetas' series, which emphasized dynamic movement, 'Gestos' explores the quieter moments between actions and the nuanced poses of the human body. This shift underscores Zobel's growing interest in the static and transitional aspects of gesture. Among the notable works from this period is the lot on offer, 'Gestos XXIX-Climbing.' This painting exemplifies Zobel's exploration of abstract expressionism and represents a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution. 'Gestos XXIX-Climbing' features a striking contrast of dark, rich tones and delicate, ethereal colors, creating a dynamic visual experience. The composition, with its rhythmic quality, aligns with Zobel's intent to transcend traditional forms of representation. This work highlights his ability to transform abstract elements into a compelling narrative, offering a glimpse into his exploration of physical and emotional landscapes. Zobel's involvement in learning the flute and his passion for music and festivals during this time add a personal dimension to his work. The 'Gestos' series, which includes paintings named after the models depicted, such as 'Nazario' (1977), 'Leonardo' (1977-78), 'Dioni' (1977), 'El Rafi' (1977), and 'Barocci' (1977-78), as well as representations of gestures from cyclists and musicians. The depiction of musicians performing, with particular focus on the cold, metallic appearance of flutes, also represents a major theme in his artwork from this period. Zobel continues to express his artistic vision through his paintings. Zobel's contribution to modern art extends beyond his distinctive aesthetic to his innovative approach to abstraction and his dedication to exploring new artistic horizons. The 'Gestos' series, with its emphasis on gesture and form, stands as a testament to his artistic evolution and influence on contemporary art. As we celebrate Fernando Zobel's centennial, 'Gestos XXIX-Climbing' serves as a poignant reminder of his enduring impact and remarkable ability to push the boundaries of artistic expression. Reference: 'Chronology.' Fernando Zobel. https://fernandozobel.es/en/index.html.
Cuatro Luces signed, dated 1964, and titled (verso) oil and graphite on canvas 24" x 24" (61cm x 61 cm) LITERATURE: De la Torre, Alfonso and Rafael Pérez-Madero. Fernando Zóbel:Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (1946 - 1984). Madrid: Fundación Azcona, 2022. Listed as "no 64-31" with full-color illustration and painting description on page 285. WRITE UP The Dance of Lights Zóbel’s Dynamic Musings Fernando Zóbel’s arrival in Madrid in 1959 was met with a thunderous welcome and ushering with it a new chapter to his artistic career. Almost immediately after his arrival, he mounted a solo exhibition at the Galería Biosca, a gallery that espoused pictorial modernity as a response to the apathy that the official initiatives interacted with contemporary art. A place for the erudite and the socialite of Madrid to gather, this exhibition is the perfect place for Zóbel to encounter Madrid’s artists and critics, who in turn became taken with his cutting-edge abstraction. And be taken with them they are. Critic Manuel Sánchez Camargo praised Zóbel’s exhibit in his 1959 Zóbel, stating: “Zobel’s work is, above all, intelligent work. This is so because of the care taken in measuring the shapes, the effects of the colour, and the nice appearance of the piece. There is no carelessness in Zobel’s canvases; indeed, a profound understanding of composition influences how they were created.” Castro Arines’s review of Zóbel’s exhibit emphasizes this further. “What surprising worlds has Zóbel brought before us in his paintings?” he says. “The paintings on display at Biosca could be ascribed to the world of dynamics, if dynamics could feasibly be grasped in painting, if movement and air could be held in the painter’s hands like bodies that obey the principles of his inventions.” Zóbel’s recognition and subsequent bout of inspiration in Spain was highly evident when the artist returned to Manila to mount another exhibition in 1961. Full of wanderlust, Zóbel is known to have traveled around the world, from the Philippines to the United States or Europe and back. With his increasing trips to Spain by the end of the 1950s, it is only logical that his works from then on will take on Spanish influences. This radical change was noted in his 1961 Philippine exhibition. He was a different painter when he returned to his home country, his works radically stripped down and his exhibit fully abstract. They were now “new abstractions” as critic Emmanuel Torres described them, the shining result of his Madrid sojourn. His 1964 Cuatro Luces – meaning Four Lights in Spanish – features the slow return of colors in his works after his purely monochromatic works of the earlier decades. Still predominantly black, white, and grey, Zóbel inserts the slightest bit of color through the soft blue in the grey fog as well as the small dots of yellow light. By 1963, a year prior to Cuatro Luces, Zobel moved to Cuenca, a city some two hours from Madrid, to set up the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español. A change in the scenery meant another wave of inspiration for Zóbel, as evidenced by Cuatro Luces, whose soft fog and gentle waters remind him of the view Zóbel has from the window of his Cuenca studio: the mouth of the Júcar River. Zóbel’s Cuatro Luces belies in its solemnity a sense of drama and tension. “Zóbel’s abstraction was always classified as lyrical, despite his affinity to art informel, perhaps because of his use of black and white,” writes Alfonso de la Torre in Fernando Zóbel: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings 1946- 1984. With a touch of the Oriental, Zóbels works is a catalog of his jet-set life, his inspirations spanning decades and continents as he, like many great artists, internalizes this melting pot of inspirations, turning them into a piece of work that is undeniably and unequivocally Zóbel’s. (Hannah Valiente)
La Terraza, III signed (lower right and verso) titled and dated 1978 (verso) oil on canvas 39 1/2” x 39 1/2” (100 cm x 100 cm) PROVENANCE: Christie's, Asian 20th Century Art (Day Sale), Hong Kong, 27 May 2018, Lot 367 Private collection, Manila EXHIBITED Sala de Exposiciones El Monte, Fernando Zobel (First Retrospective Exhibition), Organized by the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain, October 1983 LITERATURE De la Torre, Alfonso and Rafael Pérez-Madero. Fernando Zóbel: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (1946 - 1984). Madrid: Fundación Azcona, 2022. Listed as "nº 78-83" with full-color illustration and painting description on page 584. WRITE UP Cuenca and its River Jucar were Zóbel’s saving grace. I n 1984, Zóbel succumbed to a heart attack. He was buried in the San Isidro Cemetery in Cuenca’s highest point overlooking the Jucar. Forty years later, Zóbel has become one and the same with his cherished river, reveling in an eternal ode of honor and indebtedness. (Adrian Maranan) pastel oranges represent the River Jucar and its environs. Zóbel painted this work on November 16, 1978, during autumn, when the leaves of the river’s surrounding trees (particularly the poplar tree) turn orange, creating unique colorations reflecting on the waters. The shades of brown heavily concentrated on the work’s right portion evoke the captivating reflection of the orange leaves on the Jucar’s green waters. Zóbel once noted in a March 3, 1982 interview with El Pais that the Jucar “displays an array of colors the likes of which I have not seen elsewhere.” Cuenca has soaring cliffs and mammoth walls of rocks that seemingly guard its mother Jucar, from which medieval castles and hanging houses eventually sprang forth. And so did a perpetually meditative Zóbel. Interestingly, the Jucar became Zóbel’s quintessential muse during his creative peak of the 1970s, in which physicality and spirituality are wedded to form a lyrical expression of meditative luminosity and passionate remembrance. The Jucar would become the subject of Zóbel’s last series, Las Orillas, which he made after a wrenching depression that caused him to destroy many of his paintings. He would also publish in 1982 a book of photographs, El Jucar en Cuenca. As the Jucar became Cuenca’s lifeblood, so was the river’s role in Zóbel’s lyrical virtuoso, giving him the dynamic strength and life-preserving spirituality to pursue his own lifeblood—painting.'
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Football (Diagonal Deportiva) State II. . 1973-1974 Etching on Guarro paper Signed in pencil Numbered 17/35 Measurements 12 x 16.5 cm (imprint); 26.2 x 33.2 cm (paper) BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Complete Graphic Work", Provincial Council of Cuenca 1999, no. 128. Page 139
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Football (Diagonal Deportiva) State I. 1973-1974 Etching on Guarro paper Signed in pencil Numbered 17/35 Measurements 12 x 16.5 cm (footprint); 26.2 x 33.2 cm (paper) BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Complete Graphic Work", Provincial Council of Cuenca 1999, no. 127. Page 139
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Rafita. 1978 Silkscreen on paper Signed in pencil P/A (Artist's Proof) Measurements 83 x 70.2 cm Edita Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, Cuenca 1978 < br> BIBLIOGRAPHY Rafael Pérez-Madero, "Zóbel. Complete Graphic Work", Provincial Council of Cuenca 1999, no. 188. Page 201
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 La Rosa Marchita. 1970 Offset-Lithograph on paper Signed in pencil and titled Numbered R (after) Measurements 36 x 36 cm ORIGIN Gift of Fernando Zóbel, Cuenca br> Private collection
FERNANDO ZÓBEL Manila 1924-Rome 1984 Cerf-en-ciel #250. 1959 Oil on canvas Signed Back signed and dated "January 18/59" Measurements 70 x 100 cm ORIGIN Marqués de Magaz Collection, Madrid Private collection BIBLIOGRAPHY Alfonso de la Torre (Director, in collaboration with Rafael Pérez Madero, "Catalog Raisonné of Paintings by Fernando Zóbel, 1946-1984", Azcona Foundation, Juan March Foundation, Ayala Foundation and Heirs of Fernando Zóbel, Madrid-Manila 2023. Cat. No. 59-9 (250), page 161.
FERNANDO ZÓBEL (Manila, Philippines, 1924 - Rome, Italy, 1984). "Los hocinos", 21-11-1979. Oil on canvas. Signed in the right corner. Signed and titled on the back. Work referenced in the catalog raisonné of the artist Fernando Zóbel, Ref. 79-78, Page 598. Work referenced by Fernando Zóbel in: "El cuaderno de Zóbel, Mancha gris a la derecha". Measurements: 80 x 100 cm; 83 x 103 cm (frame). In 1971 Fernando Zóbel began a prolific path whose undisputed protagonist was the natural landscape of Cuenca, and more in detail the gorges of the Huecar and Júcar rivers. His research lasted for a whole decade, becoming a recurring theme in his painting, until shortly before his death. The artist would make out this natural landscape, in all its contexts and during all seasons, capturing his contemplative impressions through the use of photographs, watercolors and sketches, from which he would begin larger works. In this work, where Zóbel immortalized "Los hocinos", he emphasizes the use of reflections, and the chromatic harmony based on a soft and vaporous range, complemented with linear elements, which make up the dimensions and pictorial space. Starting from a material reality of the landscape towards an abstract conception of it, where disparate elements such as the fictitious and the real, or the pictorial and pictographic come together, thus forming a work of great lyrical content. Historian, patron, university professor or collector, are some of the adjectives corresponding to the figure of Fernando Zóbel, one of the most outstanding painters of the Spanish twentieth century. The formation and cultivation of his personality, never ceases to develop, highlighting his love for books. He studied Medicine in the Philippines and graduated in Philosophy and Arts at Harvard University in the United States, being at this time when he began to be interested and involved with the pictorial world influenced by the Boston School, whose palette showed almost pure colors framed by a very marked drawing. Thus, in 1951 he took up the chair of Fine Arts at the Ateneo de Manila. Zóbel's evolution and need to develop a personal artistic language led him to explore the world of abstraction influenced by Rothko, or the expressionism of Pollock or de Kooning, working on very valid non-figurative proposals. To this, it is necessary to add the great influence and interest he felt towards oriental cultures, increasing this eagerness with his participation in a Chinese archaeological excavation discovered in the Philippine peninsula of Calatagan. As it was said, Zóbel's work drinks from the East, so much so that oriental calligraphy is the one that favors the presence of sinuous lines of great elegance, which can be appreciated in the work that concerns us, in which the meticulous and thoughtful previous work can be appreciated. And there is nothing left to chance in his apparently spontaneous painting, all contain a period of reflection and previous execution, because, as he said: "my process is the process of sketch, drawing, sketch and painting", a planning that results in perfect scenographies formed by movement, lines, speed, space and light. His work is represented in important museums such as the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Español in Valladolid, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao, the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York, the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha (Nebraska), the Hispanic Society of America, as well as in collections such as Chase Manhattan Bank, the AENA Art Collection of Contemporary Art in Madrid, and the Banco Urquijo in Barcelona. Work referenced in the catalog raisonné of the artist Fernando Zóbel, Ref. 79-78, Page 598. Work referenced by Fernando Zóbel in: "El cuaderno de Zóbel, Mancha gris a la derecha".
Oil on canvas. Signed, dedicated (For Fernando and María) and dated (March 22, 1966) in the lower left corner. On the back, signed, titled, dated (Feb.1966), with inscription (66-7) and on the frame (Zóbel). This work, which is offered to the market for the first time, was painted in a happy moment and of plenitude in the career of Fernando Zóbel; It was in 1966 that he completed his great project as an artist and patron; on June 30, the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art was inaugurated in the Hanging Houses of Cuenca. Provenance: - Gift from Zóbel to his cousin, in whose collection it has remained to this day. Bibliography: - DE LA TORRE, Alfonso: Fernando Zóbel Catalog Raisonné of Paintings 1946-1984. Azcona Foundation. Madrid, 2022. Page 326. Rep.Col. Cat. No.: 66-7.
