One of the surprises of Art Basel in Basel 2019 was a meeting with Federico Herrero. The Costa Rica-based artist, who is known for his bright, playful and colourful abstractions, worked on a commissioned installation, which was painted on-site in the UBS lounge. Below find five personal highlights from his work so far, as well as some artist quotes.
A “giant” mural & five new works
The 11-meter long mural presented in the UBS lounge of Art Basel spanned from one part of the lounge to the other. As mentioned by Mary Rozell, Global Head of the UBS Art Collection, the bank has a long-standing tradition of collecting Herreroˈs works. This year, one work was added to the collection: a painting with several distinctive purple elements, exploring the relationship between nature and culture, art and social life. It was part of a series of five new paintings hanging in the lounge.
The quotes
“When painting on a canvas, you know there is no transgression; it acquires a rhythm of production that is related to yourself…One deals with a personal universe, the other deals with a social vocation.”
“I think that “Landscape”, the mural I made for the Venice Biennale in 2001. That would be like the mother of all the pieces I have made, because it summarises my interest for space, time, and our perception of dimensions, the landscape and color.”
“I believe that my work has the potential to activate ‘the inner child’ of people, because of the type of shapes and colours; however, my works are made by an adult who really believes in the magic of color and the potential it has to make an impact in human beings.”
Thanks Mary Rozell and Tamsin Selby for this opportunity!
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