Painting - Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

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Painting – 82/397

Zumeta, José Luis

Usurbil, Gipuzkoa, 19/04/1939

Oil on canvas stuck to conglomerate

110 x 91.3 cm

Zumeta (bottom right hand corner), Zumeta (on the reverse)

1961

Third quarter of the 20th century

82/397

Acquired in 1982

  • Except for a figurative parenthesis, most of his painting is best described as abstract expressionism, which in his case meant an interest in unearthing popular roots; his work was charged with argumentation and dramatic content. Painting from 1961 is a highly suggestive early work that can be related to American expressionism. But his colours are directly inspired by moored fishing boats and combining to make tight sets of colour. (Javier Viar)

Selected bibliography

  • Zumeta : retrospectiva = atzera begira [Cat. exp.]. Vitoria-Gasteiz, Eusko Jaurlaritza, Kultura eta Turismo Saila = Gobierno Vasco, Dpto. de Cultura y Turismo, 1989. p. 66
  • Euskal artea eta artistak 60ko hamarkadan = Arte y Artistas Vascos en los años 60 [Cat. exp.]. Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia = Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa, 1995. p. 279.
  • Guía Artistas Vascos. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2008. pp. 154-155.
  • Gida Euskal Artistak. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Eder Museoa, 2008. p. 154.
  • Guide Basque Artists. Bilbao, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, 2012. pp. 154-155, n° cat. 85a.
  • Viar, Javier. Historia del arte vasco : de la Guerra Civil a nuestros días, 1936-2016. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2017. pp. 202-203, il.
  • Bilboko Museoaren alfabetoa = El alfabeto del Museo de Bilbao = The alphabet of the Bilbao Museum = L'alphabet du Musée de Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 212-214, 217-218, 221, n° cat. 117.
  • Después del 68 : arte y prácticas artísticas en el País Vasco, 1968-2018 [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. p. 340.