They can be seen in numerous public spaces around the world, including the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the German Chancellery in Berlin, the Royal Palace in Barcelona, and the World Bank in Washington, DC.
However, to get the best cross-sectional survey of Eduardo Chillida’s (1924-2002) sculptures, people always turn to the Basque region of northeastern Spain, where Chillida designed and exhibited his works in a tranquil natural environment. Head all over the park.
The Chillida Leku Museum (“leku” means “place” in Basque) is located in Hernani, about 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) south of the artist’s birthplace of San Sebastian. The sculptor acquired a former rural retreat to create his vision for an 11-hectare outdoor sculpture garden.
This is without a doubt the most beautiful sculpture park in Spain, and there is no denying that Chillida is one of the sculptural giants of the 20th century. In 2024, the park will take on even more significance as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Basque sculptor’s birth. The park features 40 of his works made in a variety of materials and sizes.
art in public space
“My father always said, ‘What comes from one person rarely comes from anyone.’ That’s why he wanted to share his work with the public.” , Luis Chillida, one of the artist’s sons and president of the Chillida Foundation, said while trying to explain his father’s fame. “That was a new thing a few decades ago.” The huge, expansive sculptures made of concrete and metal were also novel.
Chillida has created his own unique formal language with sculptures that appear to grow from the ground, illuminate with light, and expand toward the heavens, intertwining with the landscape and defying gravity.
Mexico’s Nobel Prize in Literature winner Octavio Paz said that despite their size, Chillida’s sculptures were “like birds, like cosmic symbols.”Opinions of Spanish cultural historian Cosme de Baragnano
The work is unique in itself.
international breakthrough
Mikel Chillida, Chillida Leku’s development manager and one of the artist’s 27 grandchildren, says his grandfather balanced his talents. He was an early goal-scoring soccer player for San Sebastian’s second-division team, but a serious injury ended his playing days.
He then studied architecture in Madrid, but he did not complete it. He then went to Paris to become a sculptor. But it wasn’t until he returned to his native Basque country in the early 1950s that he discovered metal as his favorite material to work with, drawing inspiration from his nearby blacksmith shop.
His international breakthrough came in 1958 when he won the Grand Prix at the Venice Biennale. Since then, Chillida has exhibited her work at international art shows, including several times at Germany’s prestigious Documenta in Kassel, creating literal heavyweight works weighing tons.
Through it all, he remained loyal to his country. “He compared himself to a tree,” said his grandson Mikel. “Its roots are in the Basque Country, and its branches have spread to other parts of the world.”
unique items
There were other things that made Chillida different from other artists. All of his works were unique. He didn’t want any reproductions, much less mass-produced ones.
His son Luis reports that he once convinced a gallerist to make a copy of his work? Seeing the result, the artist said to his aide’s wife Pilar: “This looks like a shoe store.”
Lewis says his father was a “slow artist.” Chillida’s oeuvre totals 1,350 sculptures, which took him 52 years to create, and includes some small pieces.
“For him, every piece was an adventure, an experiment never tried before,” Luis Chillida said. His father didn’t have a favorite sculpture either. “It was always the sculpture he was currently working on.” For large-scale sculptures, the artist designed a model called “Aroma”. Some of these are on display in the country house of Chilida Lek. One of his scents is that of the Goethe House, a sculpture located in Frankfurt, the birthplace of the 18th-century German classical poet.
Realizing a lifelong dream
Chillida Lek is the realization of a lifelong dream for the sculptor, who once said he had a dream of “a space where my sculptures could rest and people could walk through them as if they were in a forest.”
And art and nature have an extraordinary symbiotic relationship. In this natural space, sculptures are spread among the trees and meadows, whether they are steel giants several meters high or small works made of granite.
One of them is the steel sculpture “Advice to Space IV, Corten Steel.” It’s a bit of eye-catching fun from the master who added “IV” to the title even though he didn’t produce the series. his job. The curves free the work from its enormous plumpness. His stylized arms are spread out to the sides, as if to welcome the viewer, and his neck stretches toward the sky, making him look like he is alive. Or is the viewer’s imagination running wild?
Many people get their feet wet when they walk through the grass to get a closer look at the works here. This is because the Basque Country, located in the Atlantic climate zone, is also known for its high rainfall, and the rain just drips off the sculpture.