The Carmen Thyssen Málaga Museum presents the exhibition "Pintura liberada. Young Spanish Figurative Art of the 80s", running from April 1 to September 14, 2025. This showcase features thirty large-format paintings that capture a period of effervescence and creative freedom in contemporary Spanish art. Following the dominance of informalism in the 1960s and collective conceptual experiences of the 1970s, the 1980s witnessed the emergence of a new figurative narrative painting that emphasized technique, style, and artist subjectivity. This movement is characterized by the use of large formats and an expressionist prominence of form and color.
The catalog published by the museum for this exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of this artistic movement, highlighting works by artists such as Carlos Alcolea, Carlos Franco, Luis Gordillo, Guillermo Pérez Villalta, Patricia Gadea, Chema Cobo, Joaquín de Molina, and Miquel Barceló, among others. Through critical essays and high-quality reproductions, the catalog contextualizes the evolution of figurative painting in Spain during the early years of democracy, emphasizing how these young artists captured the long-awaited atmosphere of freedom of that decade and contributed to projecting a new image of Spain after the end of the Franco dictatorship.
Additionally, the catalog delves into the influence of the New Madrid Figuration and its expansion to other regions, including Andalusia, underscoring the significance of this figurative painting renaissance in shaping the contemporary Spanish art scene. With this in-house production project, curated by the Conservation team of the Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga, readers are offered a unique opportunity to rediscover and appreciate the richness and diversity of a pivotal stage in Spain's contemporary art.