Zumeta: a life dedicated to art
Zumeta: a life dedicated to art
In the summer of 2023, the exhibition “Zumeta: Figuración y Abstracción en el siglo XXI” (“Zumeta: Figuration and Abstraction in the Twenty-First Century”) by Jose Luis Zumeta (1939-2020) was inaugurated at BASQUE LUXURY STUDIO. The exhibition, which will be open to the public until June 2025, is curated by Usoa Zumeta Sanz, manager of Zumeta Arte Estudioa. The exhibition is made up of three large-scale pieces created between 2007 and 2012 which have been exhibited only once before: two triptychs that saw the light of day in the Citadel of Pamplona in 2012, and a painting that was exhibited in the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Basque Country (Artium) between 2011 and 2012. The show is rounded off with the projection of a video that explains the creative process of the painter when tackling a blank canvas.
The inauguration of “Zumeta: Figuración y Abstracción en el siglo XXI” coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the most ambitious project undertaken by the artist – the glazed ceramic mural that occupies the entire back part of the fronton court in the municipality of Usurbil. With no prior experience in ceramics, creating the 3,000 pieces that make up the mural (first in a foundry and then in an electric kiln) and their subsequent assembly took the artist a whole year of work. Zumeta used 18 tons of clay to cover the 145 m2 of the wall of the fronton court.
In 1999 he carried out another piece of great relevance: “Gernika.” This piece is an oil painting on canvas measuring 350 x 780 cm that pays homage to Picasso’s painting of the same name and which reasserts the original piece’s forceful rejection of violence through its characteristic expressionism. With its vibrant colors, the piece takes on an outstanding artistic dimension, demonstrating the emotional power of color and Zumeta’s ability to play with it.
Considered one of the most recognized artists of the Basque Country, José Luis Zumeta was one of the founders of the Gaur Group, composed of Eduardo Chillida, Jorge Oteiza, Rafael Ruiz Balerdi, Remigio Mendiburu, José Antonio Sistiaga, Amable Arias, Néstor Basterretxea, and Zumeta himself. Known primarily as a painter, José Luis Zumeta also showed interest for other artistic disciplines like sculpture and signage/posters over his more than 60-year career. His work is present at renowned museums both in the Basque Country (Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, San Telmo Museum of San Sebastián, Artium of Vitoria-Gasteiz) and abroad (Museum of Solidarity Salvador Allende in Santiago de Chile).
Currently, the workshop where Zumeta worked in Usurbil can be visited by appointment. Known as Zumeta Arte Estudioa, this attractive two-story space in the middle of nature features three different areas: the artist’s painting atelier, the screen-printing studio where he did his graphic work (currently used by Usoa for the creation and printing of graphic work), and an exhibition room where his oil paintings and tempera paintings are on display.
Zumeta Arte Estudioa
Tel.: +34 610 202 332
