Alceu Ribeiro

Alceu Ribeiro - First Idea

We present the exhibition Alceu Ribeiro - First Idea, an exhibition in which, in addition to the canvases and wood by the Uruguayan artist, we will give special relevance to the small-format drawings that Ribeiro made as rehearsals for his canvases.

Alceu Ribeiro (Artigas, Uruguay 1919 - Mallorca 2013) studied in Joaquín Torres-García's workshop in Montevideo, where he learned the basic concepts of constructivism, participating in all the workshop's exhibitions and collaborating in the mythical murals of the Saint-Bois Hospital in Montevideo.

In the different exhibitions in which we have presented his work, we have focused on his paintings and collages, but on this occasion, we wanted to approach his work from another perspective. In Alceu Ribeiro - First Idea, we paid special attention to his preparatory drawings, detailed works that served as a test bench for Ribeiro, which he would later use on canvas and wood. On some occasions, these sketches would be the basis for a larger work, while on others they would be not only a sketch, but a miniature version of the future work which he would then render almost identically in the final work.

These sketches and drawings open a door that is often closed, in this case, Alceu Ribeiro's work on paper shows us his most intimate and personal side, where he makes tests, develops ideas, and on many occasions plants the seed of what will become his works on canvas or collage. Ribeiro uses the basic concepts of constructivism, rhythm, and structure, even in these small works, but it is here where he plays more with what he calls "my little particularities", those details that make his constructivism both follow and transcend the rules, achieving a personal work.

Ribeiro liked Stravinsky's quote "Art is the opposite of chaos” and being able to see the initial drawings and his path towards the canvas, allows us to appreciate how true this statement is in his work.

The exhibition Alceu Ribeiro - First Idea can be visited until 30 March.