STILL LEARNING. Last works from Tiziano to Tàpies

It could be said that after a certain age an artist has explored his genius, found his own voice and has mastered his technique. This may coincide with a period of progressive decadence or, to the contrary, a stage in which, free of any commitments other than self-imposed ones, works of extraordinary quality can be produced in which all the artist’s skills appear to be at the service of a new perspective, one which gives the artist their unique outlook. Except for the Final Judgment of the painting, judgment and criticism are no longer important.

It is not a matter of classing the final works of all artists as excellent. It is our belief, however, that these works are different from the rest of their creations. As a result, the aim of this exhibition, which is as anthropological as it is artistic, is to display the fruit of artistic genius in alliance with physical frailty when also confronted by the prospect of the end. Hence the title of the exhibition, taken from a drawing by Goya when he was in his eighties.

In our society, unlike societies in other times and other places, we pursue and praise young talent, we resignedly accept the talent of maturity and we ignore or even dismiss the old. Yet, as Degás once wrote, “Everyone may be talented at twenty-five. The important thing is to be talented at fifty.” Not to mention at seventy or eighty.

Instead of seeing old age as being synonymous with incapacity, we might offer a contrasting image which is just as true and which in many cases cancels out
or overrides the other image, giving it a full sense: and it is then that the swansong is produced, a swansong which is so much sweeter the closer it is to death. As Chateaubriand writes of Poussin. “This painting evokes something of the neglected age and the hand of an old man; the admirable tremor of time! Brilliant men have often announced their end through masterpieces. It is the soul taking flight.”

This exhibition brings together a collection of eighty such paintings by fifty-five artists. It focuses on twentieth-century Spanish art but some notable examples from earlier periods and from further-away have been included. It begins with an etching by Tiziano, which even in its day embodied the elderly painter, and brings us to the present day. We have been rigorous in making sure that we only selected works from the last few years of the artists’ careers. In more than one case, we have even displayed their very last work. As it happens, the three great geniuses of Spanish modern art – Picasso, Dalí and Miró – reached a great age, meaning that it has been possible to include extraordinary works by all three. Esteban Vicente, who died shortly before reaching the age of ninety-eight and was active until the end of his life, has a particularly strong presence in the exhibition. Another special feature of the exhibition is that it includes eight living artists: Gonzalo Chillida, Martín Chirino, Sarah Grilo, Pablo Palazuelo, Albert Ràfols-Casamada, Antoni Tàpies, Gustavo Torner and Cristino de Vera. They are all still active and – except for Cristino de Vera – over eighty years old. It is safe to say that they are now in their prime. Looking at their works and all the works in the exhibition, one can say that the artists have left their lives in them.