Antoni Llena facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Antoni Llena
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| Born | 1 January 1942 Barcelona, Spain
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| Occupation | artist |
Antoni Llena (born in Barcelona in 1942) is a famous Spanish artist. He is known for his unique and thoughtful artworks.
He started his art journey in the mid-1960s. Antoni Llena was one of the first artists in Spain to create what is called conceptual art. This type of art focuses on the idea behind the artwork, rather than just how it looks.
Contents
Early Art and New Ideas
In the late 1960s, Antoni Llena made a well-known series of sculptures. These were called "desiccated sculptures," meaning they looked dried out or shrunken.
In 1969, he worked with other artists like Jordi Galí and Silvia Gubern. Together, they created a piece called Primera mort (First Death). This is seen as the very first video art piece ever made in Spain!
That same year, he had his first solo art show in Lleida. He showed drawings of shadows from his paper sculptures. These shadows were drawn right onto the gallery walls.
A Break and a Return to Art
In the early 1970s, Antoni Llena decided to stop making art for a while. But he came back to it in 1979. He started a new series of works called "cut-outs." These were later shown at the Fundació Joan Miró in 1988.
In the late 1980s, he began to use many different materials in his art. He used stone, glass, tissue paper, iron, and even styrofoam. His art started to become more three-dimensional, like paintings that pop out.
Famous Art Series
During this time, he created many large series of artworks. Some of these include Epifanies i sofismes, Et in Arcadia Ego, Preposicions, Velletque videre, Sense penediment, and Viatge d’hivern.
Since 2005, he has been working on a series called SOS: senyals de fum des d’un subsòl. This means "SOS: smoke signals from an underground." He arranges his drawings in pairs, like pages in a book.
Teaching and Curating
Antoni Llena has also shared his knowledge with others. He was a professor of artistic literature at the University of Girona. He also led art workshops at EINA, a design and art school in Barcelona.
He has helped organize art shows too. He was the curator for "The anxiety of Influences. Tàpies Seen by Llena" at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in 1991. He also curated "Antoni Bernad. North/South/East/West" at the Palau Robert in 2018.
Books and Public Art
Besides making art, Antoni Llena writes. He has written books like La gana de l’artista (1999) and Per l’ull de l’art (2008).
He has also created large sculptures that you can see in public places. Two well-known ones are David i Goliat (in Barcelona, 1992) and Homenatge als Castellers (also in Barcelona, 2011).
Where to See His Art
Antoni Llena's artworks are part of many important art collections. You can find his pieces in places like:
- Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona
- Fundació ”la Caixa” in Barcelona
- Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona
- Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona
- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid
- Patio Herreriano - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Español in Valladolid
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York
Solo Exhibitions
Antoni Llena has had many individual art shows where only his work is displayed. Some of his most important solo exhibitions include:
- Antoni Llena at the Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona (1988)
- La pintura como experiencia at the Patio Herreriano - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Español, Valladolid (2005)
- SOS: senyals de fum des d’un subsòl at the Centre d’Art Tecla Sala, l’Hospitalet (2011)
- Antoni Llena. The Practice of Dispossession at Henrique Faria Fine Art, New York (2019)
Other notable solo shows:
- 2012 - Antoni Llena. Obres 1967-2012, Galeria A/34, Barcelona
- 2010 - Nadala, Abans no canti el gall, Fundació Miró, Barcelona
- 2005 - La pintura como experiència, Muso Patio Herreriano, Valladolid and Museu d'Art Jaume Morera, Lleida
- 1991 - L'ansietat de les influències. Tàpies vist per Llena, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Barcelona
- 1969 - Escultures de paper, Petite Galeria, Lleida
See Also
In Spanish: Antoni Llena para niños
