From 16 September to 15 February 2026, María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation presents the third edition of its Works on Paper project, which on this occasion features pieces by artists who carried out the greater part of their careers in the second half of the 20th century.
Drawing represents the first artistic kindling of an idea, making it the most direct way of gaining insight into an artist’s thought process. The fragility of works on paper makes it almost miraculous that such images—often conceived in the intimacy of the studio and, in some cases, despite their evident artistic quality, never intended for the viewer’s eye—have reached the public.
The selection now on display explores a complex era primarily through two paths. The first is traced by the imprint of Surrealism on the post-war avant-garde, through works by Antoni Tàpies and Joan Ponç, associated with the Dau al Set group, and by the El Paso group, led by Antonio Saura. In all three cases, the representation is dominated by a distinctive vision of the figure, as is also evident in the work of Zush, which can likewise be placed within the genealogical line of the subjective.
The second path, by contrast, traces a mode of analytical abstraction, beginning with a series of gouaches by Eusebio Sempere from 1960, which hint at kineticism, and culminating in a group of works by Pablo Palazuelo dated between 1968 and 1975. Aurèlia Muñoz’s maquette, titled Estel ancorat [Anchored Comet], completes the poetic resonance of the first group, while the sense of gravitation in Chillida’s piece and musical allusion in Elena Asins’ work can, in a way, be seen as following the path suggested by Sempere and Palazuelo.
Image credits:
Untitled (detail). Pablo Palazuelo. 1956. FMCMP Collection © Pablo Palazuelo, VEGAP, Madrid, 2025 © of the photographs Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson. Author: Marcos Morilla
