The MACA - Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante has invited on this occasion the work of Equipo Crónica titled Las Meninas in the Chalet from 1969 belonging to the Chirivella Soriano Foundation of Valencia, which can be enjoyed from February 1st to April 28th, 2013. This splendid work from the Chirivella Soriano Foundation Las Meninas in the Chalet from 1969 fits perfectly alongside the work of Equipo Crónica belonging to the 20th Century Art Collection titled Self-portrait in Palace painted just one year later, in 1970.
A reflection on the theme of classical painting that serves to place Velázquez's characters—in the case of Las Meninas in the Chalet—the Infanta Margarita of Austria, the lady-in-waiting of the Infanta Isabel de Velasco, the dwarf Mari Bárbola, the royal chamberlain José Nieto and the dog, in a chalet from the 50s-60s, a time when the tourist phenomenon emerged and the chalet became fashionable for summer vacations. The exterior space of this representation corresponds to an advertisement from the Valencian store "Hogar completo"—specialized in armchairs, rocking chairs and folding summer loungers.
Self-portrait in Palace places the scene in the original space of the Las Meninas painting, preserving the characters of the royal chamberlain José Nieto and the Dog decorated with the Cross of Santiago, but in this case distorted, to occupy a gigantic volume. The two artists Manolo Valdés and Rafael Solbes, portray themselves in the foreground as in the original work the main characters of Las Meninas are placed. The painting is not finished, as there appears a blank area, empty and thousands of paint drips, and they appear characterized as two house painters who, during a break from their work, stop to look at us because we have placed ourselves in the scene and they invite us to reflect on the work they are carrying out.
The collaboration between institutions such as the MACA and the Chirivella Soriano Foundation, in this case coordinated through the Consortium of Museums of the Valencian Regional Government and the Culture Department of the Alicante City Council, has made possible the arrival of this work by Equipo Crónica. An exhibition program that will continue throughout the year.
Equipo Crónica. (1964-1981)
Formed by the artists Manolo Valdés, Rafael Solbes and Juan Antonio Toledo (although the latter soon distanced himself from the group), the group reacted against the dominant informalist current in the Spanish artistic panorama of the time. Their collective work developed during the last ten years of Francoism and the democratic transition, until 1981.
Equipo Crónica creates decidedly figurative work very close to the pop art aesthetic. Taking advantage of resources from journalistic chronicles, the language of mass media, comics, advertising or art history itself, their painting critically analyzes the social and political situation of Spain and casts an ironic look at myths by placing well-known situations and characters in different contexts, thus contributing to the demystification of images and questioning the very function of art.
The MACA - Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante has invited on this occasion the work of Equipo Crónica titled Las Meninas in the Chalet from 1969 belonging to the Chirivella Soriano Foundation of Valencia, which can be enjoyed from February 1st to April 28th, 2013.
The collaboration between institutions such as the MACA and the Chirivella Soriano Foundation, in this case coordinated through the Consortium of Museums of the Valencian Regional Government and the Culture Department of the Alicante City Council, has made possible the arrival of this work by Equipo Crónica. An exhibition program that will continue throughout the year.
