Bankinter opens the exhibition, ‘Dialogue between Art and Architecture’, at its headquarters
The exposition includes a selection of artwork by Palazuelo, Millares and Tàpies from the time the headquarters, designed by Rafael Moneo, was built.
The opening consisted of a dialogue between Soledad Liaño, the curator of the exhibition, Rafael Moneo and Rafael Mateu de Ros, who analysed the details of the works on display for those in attendance.
The presentation was given by the scholar and art critic, Francisco Calvo Serraller.
Bankinter’s headquarters in Madrid on Paseo de la Castellana will house the exhibition, Diálogo entre Arte y Arquitectura (in English, ‘Dialogue between Art and Architecture’) until 7 June. The exhibition consists of some of the main artwork from the bank’s private collection, most of which has never been displayed before to the public. It includes carefully selected pieces by Palazuelo, Millares and Tàpies, from the time when the headquarters was built (between 1973 and 1977).
The exhibition’s opening event was attended by over one hundred guests, most of whom were Bankinter customers. It saw the participation of Soledad Liaño, the curator of the exhibition; Rafael Moneo, the architect who designed the Bankinter building; and Rafael Mateu de Ros, a Bankinter board member and partner and head of the art department at the firm, Ramón y Cajal Abogados, who inspired this collection open to the public until 7 June. The three experts were charged with taking part in a roundtable discussion on all the key aspects and details of the exhibition for those in attendance.
The presentation was given by Francisco Calvo Serraller, an art history professor, fine arts scholar, former director of the Prado Museum and author of an original study in the exhibition catalogue.
A collection that depicts 20th Century Spanish culture
The exhibition, ‘Dialogue between Art and Architecture’, reveals new aspects of an architect and artists who symbolise 20th Century Spanish culture like no other, having been pioneers in promoting Spanish art internationally during the political and economic turbulence of the 1970s.
The exhibition can be seen in the general spaces of the Bankinter building, especially in the entrance hall. There, a ceiling of painted frescos with an arrangement of diagonal lines – probably Pablo Palazuelo’s most ambitious piece – welcomes visitors and serves as the centrepiece for this dialogue between art and architecture that has inspired this exhibition.
From these spaces, the exhibition continues toward the Palace of the Marquis of Mudela, a classicistic mansion adjacent to the Bankinter building that was finished in 1905 by the architect, Lorenzo Álvarez Capra. It stands in perfect harmony alongside the innovative building designed by Moneo, The architect drew inspiration from certain aspects of the mansion such as its dated use of dry-pressed bricks, which would later become key elements in the new building’s construction.
In addition to the paintings by Manolo Millares, Antoni Tàpies and Pablo Palazuelo, the exhibition includes several unpublished sketches from Rafael Moneo’s notebook, as well as his original drawing of the ceiling (thanks to a generous contribution from Fundación Palazuelo) and recovered carpets designed by Millares and Palazuelo himself.
It is definitely a vibrant collection that embodies innovation, creativity, imagination, foresight, commitment, modernity and diversity, which directly match the purpose and values of Bankinter.
