Faro Santander, the announced art center promoted by the Banco Santander Foundation in the latter city, will open its doors on September 8 with an exhibition program composed of the exhibition “Symptomatic surrealism: Leonora Carrington” and the collective “Masterpieces from the Banco Santander Collection”, which will cover the history of art from the Renaissance to the contemporary stage through pieces from this institution, by artists such as Tiziano, El Greco, Rubens, Velázquez, Goya, Tàpies, Soledad Sevilla or Juan Uslé; and “Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection”, which will include compositions by contemporary authors from that country, such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Orozco, Siqueiros and Gunther Gerzso, among others.
We already know that Faro Santander will provide its fourth floor to the Banco Santander Collection, a fund that will have a permanent and dynamic presence in its activities and that began to be treasured a century and a half ago. In this first review of that collection, curated by María Dolores Jiménez-Blanco, a story of five centuries of creation will be unfolded, from the panel of Lucas Cranach the Elder The preaching of Saint John the Baptist (1537-1540) to the canvas I dreamed that you revealed (Sujtlej-Indo)by Juan Uslé, dated six years ago.
The itinerary will be organized into four basic thematic axes –sacred stories; Places and landscapes; Things: still lifes and still lifes; and Portraits, types, figures– who will study human complexity and the aesthetics that have contributed to capturing it in that chronological arc. Coinciding with this presentation, it has been edited New looksa publication that features the personal reflections of fourteen specialists in various fields of culture on their vision of the works on display.
Rubens. Samson and the lionaround 1620-1625. Santander Bank Collection
El Greco. Annunciation1614. Banco Santander Collection
As for “Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection”, which will be curated by Marisol Argüelles, director of the Museum of Modern Art of Mexico, it will allow us to delve into the treasure built over five decades (1941-1998) by Jacques and Natasha Gelman. It is one of the most important collections of Mexican art of the 20th century and consists of a hundred works, among which those of the muralists and those of Frida Kahlo stand out, of whom the Gelmans have an exceptional set of self-portraits, such as Diego in my thoughts either Self-portrait with monkeys.
They will not be missing either Portrait of Natasha Gelman and Calla lilies sellerby Diego Rivera; Portrait of Cantinflasby Rufino Tamayo; the watercolor dog with broomby Francisco Toledo; and creations by María Izquierdo or Wolfgang Paalen.
To complete these exhibitions, Faro Santander prepares a wide range of activities in order to delve into its contents, generate knowledge and strengthen ties with visitors. Specifically, “Masterpieces from the Banco Santander Collection” will be accompanied by a cycle of weekly dialogues about the validity of the themes of the exhibition, with voices from different disciplines, performative interventions by guest artists, commented visits and family plans, while “Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection” will be complemented with film, music, talks and special visits about the thousand stories that inhabit the canvases, with special episodes around the Day of the Dead, as is known one of the signature festivals of the Mexican calendar. The Casa de México Foundation and the Cultural Institute of Mexico in Spain will collaborate.
Finally, “Symptomatic Surrealism: Leonora Carrington” will arrive with a sound walk through Parque de la Vaca, the former site of the sanatorium where the artist was; a play about his internment in Santander; and an immersive day with academic and artistic voices.
The Banco Santander Foundation has also announced that this center will have spaces where collaborative projects developed with cultural agents in the territory can materialize, where they can learn about innovative proposals that merge creation and technology, and others where family audiences can enjoy art and creativity in an environment designed for that purpose. The visit can end on a terrace with wonderful 360º views of the city and the bay; gastronomic offer will be offered there.
Faro Santander, which will be directed by Daniel Vega Pérez de Arlucea, former director of Exhibitions and Conservation of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, will be based in the Pereda Building, the former main base of Banco Santander and one of the best-known buildings in the Cantabrian capital. The architectural design of the center was commissioned by the English architect David Chipperfield, winner of the Pritzker in 2023.
Frida Kahlo. Self-portrait with necklace1946. Bank of Mexico
Diego Rivera. Portrait of Natasha Gelman1943. Bank of Mexico
