Luis Barragán’s Modernist masterpiece Cuadra San Cristóbal is hosting its first ever art exhibition, with a site-specific show by Sean Scully.
The pink-walled Mexican ranch was built in 1966 for the Egerström family as a private equestrian complex. ‘Sean Scully – San Cristóbal’ is its inaugural exhibition for Blain|Southern Gallery and marks the first time the Irish-American artist has exhibited in Latin America.
Around 15 of Scully’s paintings and three recent sculptures have been installed across the grounds of the property, in dialogue with the building’s brightly coloured geometry. A marble-and-stone sculpture – a 3D manifestation of Scully’s Wall of Light paintings – sits beside Cuadra San Cristóbal’s famous pool. The artist’s recent corten and painted steel sculptures, including ‘Boxes of Air’ (which will be added to during the show) are also on display.
‘The courtyard needed monumental sculpture,’ says curator Oscar Humphries. ‘Anything else would have been dwarfed by Barragán’s massive hyperchromatic pink walls.’
Scully is best known for his mesmerising colour panels and for his ‘emotional abstract’ style, rendered through his tactile brushstrokes. His aluminium and copper canvases have been hung in the stables, with each stall displaying a different facet of Scully’s work, framed by the geometric apertures of the building.
‘Sean Scully – San Cristóbal’ is available to visit by appointment until 24 March. Email seanscullymexico@gmail.com to find out more.
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