Gotzon Huegun: a life dedicated to art and nature, only to reinvent new Basque sculpture
Gotzon Huegun: a life dedicated to art and nature, only to reinvent new Basque sculpture
A photograph resulting from an investigation into the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) served as inspiration for the Basque artist Gotzon Huegun when making the greatest sculptural piece of his long career. It is an oak mural made up of 12 carved sections, which together create the image of the collision of the accelerator’s particles. In addition to the aesthetic beauty of the “Colisión de Hadrones” (“Hadron Collision”) mural, what is interesting about this piece of art is the fact that Huegun used a traditional method of carving –more associated with the decoration of furniture or the representation of costumbrist symbols and scenes– to breathe life into an event of nature almost unprecedented for mankind.
In the more than 20 years that he has been sculpting (work that he combines with his participation in international symposiums, where he has obtained several prizes and diplomas), the leitmotiv of his work has always been the representation of nature: a sculpture painting of a stump, a nano-photograph of neural connections, a woodshed, or an oversized lichen featuring surprising realism. Human figures have also been present during several periods of his career: a piece in cherry wood of a mother nursing her daughter, an African figure in pine painted with rust, or an intertwined couple in poplar.
In addition to wood carving, Huegun also chisels pieces in stone: a sculpture of a pregnant woman in black marble from Markina was exhibited for years in the gardens of the Miramar Palace in San Sebastián, becoming one of the favorite resources of couples taking wedding photos around the building. Likewise, the artist has exhibited his work at the Basque Maritime Museum and at the San Sebastián Aquarium (his polychrome wood technique has allowed him to create sea-related sculpture paintings of great depth), as well as having numerous public pieces on display in different locations in the Basque Country.
The most noteworthy art by Gotzon Huegun is currently on display in the Navarrese town of Azkarate, in an exhibition hall that the artist set up next to his studio. A visit to this space allows the viewer to learn more about the new language developed by this creator, attracted by the formulation of new Basque sculpture, the aesthetics of the local soul, and the Oteiza school.
Gotzon Huegun
Tel.: +34 638 071 371
