To mark the centenary of the Banca March, the institution will celebrate this major milestone with the first exhibition in Spain devoted to the British sculptor, Thomas Houseago (Leeds, United Kingdom, 1972). This exhibition will re-open the gardens of the Madrid headquarters to the public from 1 May to 30 October 2026.
This exhibition project, conceived in collaboration with Vande, an international firm specialising in the private sale of pieces of art and cultural production, brings together seven monumental sculptures created using traditional materials, such as plaster, bronze or aluminium, combined with industrial elements, such as iron rods and hemp. They include the monumental Large Walking Figure I (Leeds), 2013, standing almost five metres high or the recent Janus - Mirror - Figure, 2025, which exemplifies the crossroads of primitive influences and the contemporary language that characterises the artist.
Houseago’s sculptures, which place the human figure as the key element, reflect his interest in bridging the gap between art history—from ancient and classical sculpture to the modern tradition of the 20th century, from Rodin to Picasso—and contemporary popular culture, with references ranging from David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust to George Lucas’s Darth Vader. This is a crossroads of influences that defines his own language, in which tradition and modernity coexist without hierarchy.
Thomas Houseago is one of the leading contemporary sculptors of his generation. He studied at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London in the early 1990s and later at De Ateliers in Amsterdam. After several years in Brussels, he moved to Los Angeles, where he has lived and worked since 2004. His work has been displayed internationally at leading institutions, including TANK Shanghai, China (2023); Pompidou-Metz Centre, France (2022); Modern Art Museum in Paris (2019); Royal Academy, London (2019); Galleria Borghese, Rome (2013); Storm King Art Center, New York (2013); and Inverleith House, Edinburgh (2011).
The Banca March Garden is a green oasis in the heart of Madrid, located next to an iconic early 20th-century building. Its design brings art and nature together throughout its area spanning more than 1,600 square meters. Its lush vegetation includes several ponds next to sculptures by leading artists, such as Cristina Iglesias and Blanca Muñoz. Although it shares the block with the headquarters of the Juan March Foundation, it is a unique space that is only open to the public on special occasions.
Image Credits:
- Aluminium Construction No. 1 (Giant). Courtesy of the Artist and Xavier Hufkens, Brussels
- Large Walking Figure I (Leeds). Courtesy of the Artist and Xavier Hufkens, Brussels
- Moon Figure I. Courtesy of the Artist and Xavier Hufkens, Brussels
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