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Lot Essay
Christie's is honored to present the Gerardo Rueda Collection; the first ever private collection of significant works by Fernando Zobel at auction. The leading highlight of the collection, Arganda is an outstanding and elegant creation by Zobel in 1961, a period of remarkable achievement for the artist. Seen within the larger context of art history, it represents the progress made in mid- 20th century visual modernity, a high period for abstract art. It is also an important addition to Zobel's personal development during the early 1960s, as his work began incorporating movement, speed, and calligraphic elements. The collection extends to Vortex and Espejo sin Reflejo, two masterful renditions experimenting with light against gestural form; as well as a pair of intimate drawings which Zobel dedicated to Gerardo Rueda, his close friend and artistic colleague for over three decades.
Fernando Zobel and Gerardo Rueda - Revealing Letters of an Oriental Passion
[...] For Gerardo Rueda, what makes an artist great is his vision of the eternal in the transient, his ability to suggest the abstract presence of the eternal through his work, since the eternal seems abstract from the perspective of the mundane and material [...]
Donald Kuspit, Gerardo Rueda: Cosmopolitan Collecting in Provincial Spain.
Friendship between two artists can be a fascinating affair, especially when there is not only a cultural exchange between them, but also a personal affinity and close collaboration in several areas of their respective artistic careers - as was the case between Fernando Zobel and Gerardo Rueda for over 30 years.
It was in 1955, when Isabel Montojo, a friend of Gerardo Rueda's, introduced him to Fernando Zobel. He Zobel was a cousin of hers, a brilliant and subtle painter born and raised in Manila, later moving to Spain and Switzerland, and who had studied history and literature at Harvard University. From that very instant they became intimate friends. Gerardo Rueda put Zobel in contact with painters and intellectuals, and introduced him in the Madrid scene, while they shared a studio on Velazquez Street in Madrid (1955-1962), and later on Armas Street in Cuenca (1963-1966). In 1966, Gerardo Rueda bought a house, which he renovated and expanded, on San Pedro Street in Cuenca, with a view to the gorges of rivers Jucar and Huecar. These landscapes would be very important in the development of Fernando Zobel's work of this period, places where he went for walks and meditation.
Just as Gerardo Rueda introduced Fernando Zobel to the Madrid scene, the latter, in turn, introduced Rueda in Manila, which resulted in his participation in a collective exhibition at the Manila Atheneum and a collage exhibition at the Luz Gallery; collage being an important medium for Gerardo Rueda. Zobel would write the exhibition text in which he remarked that collage was as important for him as drawings and sketches were for other artists.
Both artists were enthusiastic about Oriental culture, especially Chinese. This passion reflected in their personal art collecting, as they focused on Oriental pieces, and also in their interest for Chinese calligraphy, which Fernando Zobel learnt, and Gerardo Rueda used in some of his work. Recently surfaced letters sent by Fernando Zobel to Gerardo Rueda, mainly from Hong Kong, Tokyo and Manila, between 1955 and 1958, reveal this passion. Fernando Zobel, who had also studied archaeology, declared himself an aficionado of antique Chinese porcelain, and mentions periodic shipments of pieces from different periods, purchased from prestigious Chinese antique dealers in Hong Kong. Zobel also commenced excavations on the grounds of his home in Calatagan, Philippines, where an ancient cemetery had been found. In 1956, Zobel wrote from Hong Kong to Gerardo Rueda:
"It makes me very happy to receive confirmation of the high value of what we are digging in Calatagan. (...) I'm sending you several "frottages" on paper of the Chinese sculptures by ship. They range from the archaic Chou Period up to the Song Period."
In 1958, Fernando Zobel would visit Japan and several US cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Seattle, where he would meet with ceramics experts, all the while working on a book on archaeology. This cosmopolitan spirit could also be appreciated in the collection of antiques and decorative art selected by Gerardo Rueda, which reflected the diversity of his own life. Both artists had a passion for traveling to cities such as Paris, London, Rome, Berlin, Hong Kong, Kyoto - where they enjoyed its Zen gardens - and Tokyo.
Their fraternal journeys would culminate in the creation of the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca, Spain, originated by Gerardo Rueda and Fernando Zobel's fascination for this city. However, they initially considered a location close to Madrid that could provide affordable accommodation for the artists, and thought of Toledo, a city they had visited on several occasions:
"I leave grudgingly, I bid farewell to Gerardo Rueda and Antonio Lorenzo. We discuss the Toledo project." Fernando Zobel, Madrid, November 27, 1962.
Fernando Zobel and Gerardo Rueda's respective homes and studios in Cuenca and Madrid progressively housed their growing collection, which became renowned for its diversity. On display were Oriental pieces, Renaissance sculptures and, of course, works of contemporary art, including, in the case of Gerardo Rueda, an excellent selection of paintings by Fernando Zobel himself. Numerous patrons and curators of the most important museums in the world came to see them and visit the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español.
The highlights of the Gerardo Rueda Collection of Fernando Zobel artworks are three significant paintings which Zobel personally exchanged with Gerardo Rueda. Arganda (1961), from the Serie Negra, was exchanged at the home studio on Velazquez, 98. Arganda presided in the hall of Gerardo Rueda's Madrid home, placed within an antique frame and treated with utmost care. Vortex (1961), of the same series and also exchanged the same year in Madrid, hung in Gerardo Rueda's bedroom in his Cuenca home. Both Arganda and Vortex are remarkable for their subtle lyrical and gestural abstraction, with prominent Oriental features. Finally, Espejo sin reflejo (1963), a piece of beautiful gestural poetry, exchanged in similar circumstances, was hung in Rueda's San Nicolas studio in Madrid. Two of Zobel's drawings dedicated to Rueda were similarly treasured: Estudio para un homenaje a Karl (1976), which Rueda also had in his bedroom in Cuenca, and Cordoba con neblina (1962).
Jose Luis Rueda Jimenez
Chairman of the Gerardo Rueda Foundation
Fernando Zobel and Gerardo Rueda - Revealing Letters of an Oriental Passion
[...] For Gerardo Rueda, what makes an artist great is his vision of the eternal in the transient, his ability to suggest the abstract presence of the eternal through his work, since the eternal seems abstract from the perspective of the mundane and material [...]
Donald Kuspit, Gerardo Rueda: Cosmopolitan Collecting in Provincial Spain.
Friendship between two artists can be a fascinating affair, especially when there is not only a cultural exchange between them, but also a personal affinity and close collaboration in several areas of their respective artistic careers - as was the case between Fernando Zobel and Gerardo Rueda for over 30 years.
It was in 1955, when Isabel Montojo, a friend of Gerardo Rueda's, introduced him to Fernando Zobel. He Zobel was a cousin of hers, a brilliant and subtle painter born and raised in Manila, later moving to Spain and Switzerland, and who had studied history and literature at Harvard University. From that very instant they became intimate friends. Gerardo Rueda put Zobel in contact with painters and intellectuals, and introduced him in the Madrid scene, while they shared a studio on Velazquez Street in Madrid (1955-1962), and later on Armas Street in Cuenca (1963-1966). In 1966, Gerardo Rueda bought a house, which he renovated and expanded, on San Pedro Street in Cuenca, with a view to the gorges of rivers Jucar and Huecar. These landscapes would be very important in the development of Fernando Zobel's work of this period, places where he went for walks and meditation.
Just as Gerardo Rueda introduced Fernando Zobel to the Madrid scene, the latter, in turn, introduced Rueda in Manila, which resulted in his participation in a collective exhibition at the Manila Atheneum and a collage exhibition at the Luz Gallery; collage being an important medium for Gerardo Rueda. Zobel would write the exhibition text in which he remarked that collage was as important for him as drawings and sketches were for other artists.
Both artists were enthusiastic about Oriental culture, especially Chinese. This passion reflected in their personal art collecting, as they focused on Oriental pieces, and also in their interest for Chinese calligraphy, which Fernando Zobel learnt, and Gerardo Rueda used in some of his work. Recently surfaced letters sent by Fernando Zobel to Gerardo Rueda, mainly from Hong Kong, Tokyo and Manila, between 1955 and 1958, reveal this passion. Fernando Zobel, who had also studied archaeology, declared himself an aficionado of antique Chinese porcelain, and mentions periodic shipments of pieces from different periods, purchased from prestigious Chinese antique dealers in Hong Kong. Zobel also commenced excavations on the grounds of his home in Calatagan, Philippines, where an ancient cemetery had been found. In 1956, Zobel wrote from Hong Kong to Gerardo Rueda:
"It makes me very happy to receive confirmation of the high value of what we are digging in Calatagan. (...) I'm sending you several "frottages" on paper of the Chinese sculptures by ship. They range from the archaic Chou Period up to the Song Period."
In 1958, Fernando Zobel would visit Japan and several US cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Seattle, where he would meet with ceramics experts, all the while working on a book on archaeology. This cosmopolitan spirit could also be appreciated in the collection of antiques and decorative art selected by Gerardo Rueda, which reflected the diversity of his own life. Both artists had a passion for traveling to cities such as Paris, London, Rome, Berlin, Hong Kong, Kyoto - where they enjoyed its Zen gardens - and Tokyo.
Their fraternal journeys would culminate in the creation of the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca, Spain, originated by Gerardo Rueda and Fernando Zobel's fascination for this city. However, they initially considered a location close to Madrid that could provide affordable accommodation for the artists, and thought of Toledo, a city they had visited on several occasions:
"I leave grudgingly, I bid farewell to Gerardo Rueda and Antonio Lorenzo. We discuss the Toledo project." Fernando Zobel, Madrid, November 27, 1962.
Fernando Zobel and Gerardo Rueda's respective homes and studios in Cuenca and Madrid progressively housed their growing collection, which became renowned for its diversity. On display were Oriental pieces, Renaissance sculptures and, of course, works of contemporary art, including, in the case of Gerardo Rueda, an excellent selection of paintings by Fernando Zobel himself. Numerous patrons and curators of the most important museums in the world came to see them and visit the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español.
The highlights of the Gerardo Rueda Collection of Fernando Zobel artworks are three significant paintings which Zobel personally exchanged with Gerardo Rueda. Arganda (1961), from the Serie Negra, was exchanged at the home studio on Velazquez, 98. Arganda presided in the hall of Gerardo Rueda's Madrid home, placed within an antique frame and treated with utmost care. Vortex (1961), of the same series and also exchanged the same year in Madrid, hung in Gerardo Rueda's bedroom in his Cuenca home. Both Arganda and Vortex are remarkable for their subtle lyrical and gestural abstraction, with prominent Oriental features. Finally, Espejo sin reflejo (1963), a piece of beautiful gestural poetry, exchanged in similar circumstances, was hung in Rueda's San Nicolas studio in Madrid. Two of Zobel's drawings dedicated to Rueda were similarly treasured: Estudio para un homenaje a Karl (1976), which Rueda also had in his bedroom in Cuenca, and Cordoba con neblina (1962).
Jose Luis Rueda Jimenez
Chairman of the Gerardo Rueda Foundation