The Francisco Sobrino Museum celebrates its tenth anniversary and yesterday opened the exhibition ‘Francisco Sobrino: Inédit’, a unique show that offers a new perspective on the artist’s work with twenty-six unpublished pieces from the artist’s personal collection, including sculptures, paintings, and mobiles, loaned by the author’s heirs, traveling from the old mill in Utande and his studio in Paris to this monographic museum in Guadalajara.
The inauguration was presided over by the Mayor of Guadalajara, Ana Guarinos, accompanied by the Councilor of Culture, Javier Toquero, the exhibition’s curator, Alfonso de la Torre, and the three children of Sobrino and heirs of his work, Celia, Delia, and Daniel, with the attendance of a large audience and up to three generations of the author’s family.
In her speech, the Mayor recalled that ten years ago, on March 30, 2015, the doors of this museum were opened, an ambitious project that began in 2008 with the adaptation of the old slaughterhouse buildings. "This museum not only preserves architectural heritage but also merges tradition and avant-garde, bringing back Francisco Sobrino to Guadalajara and ensuring that his memory and work endure forever."
Furthermore, Guarinos noted that coincidentally tomorrow, May 10, marks eleven years since the death of Francisco Sobrino, "so this exhibition, which falls between these two anniversaries, is a commemorative gift for Guadalajara from one of our most distinguished artists, and one of the main creators of the 20th century, known for his exceptional contribution to geometric, kinetic, and optical art."
"In these ten years, the Francisco Sobrino Museum has been a vibrant and lively space, hosting not only Sobrino’s permanent collection but also numerous temporary exhibitions of renowned artists. We have also enjoyed concerts, children’s activities, family workshops, and guided tours, initiatives that have had the support of all of you, our neighbors," pointed out the Mayor, who especially thanked the Sobrino family for their collaboration in this exhibition and for enriching the Sobrino Museum, as well as all those who made this museum and its lively activities a reality for a whole decade, "including the support of all our culture-loving neighbors."
The Councilor of Culture, Javier Toquero, emphasized that the Sobrino Museum "is a living, dynamic space in constant evolution," whose urban environment will soon be renovated with an ambitious project that aims to secure European funding, "to make it more accessible and innovative in the spirit of this museum."
Toquero also expressed special gratitude for the collaboration of the Sobrino family, highlighting the agreement signed in recent months, ensuring the continuity of cultural activities in this emblematic space of the city.
Emotion of the Sobrino Family
Visibly moved, Celia Sobrino, representing the artist’s family, thanked the Guadalajara City Council and the Culture authorities for "this exhibition and this museum that today a large part of the Sobrino family is seeing for the first time."
The exhibition curator, Alfonso de la Torre, a renowned specialist in 20th-century European geometric art and author of the monograph on Sobrino published in 2019, explained that the title of the show, ‘Inédit’, refers to the French term for unpublished, emphasizing the exclusive nature of the selected works.
De la Torre listed the 48 artists who have had individual exhibitions in this first decade of the Sobrino Museum and finished by reading a fragment from the artist’s diary, connecting Sobrino’s creative need with the history of art in Paris.
Exhibition Open Until July 6
The exhibition has been designed to occupy the entire museum, including sculptures made from various materials, works with their characteristic permutations, and original pieces from the artist’s studio.
The inaugural event was attended by numerous authorities, representatives from cultural associations and social organizations in Guadalajara, and also had the presence of deputy mayors Alfonso Esteban, Santiago López, and Isabel Noguerales, as well as other members of the municipal Corporation.
‘Francisco Sobrino: Inédit’ will be open to the public until July 6, 2025, with free admission, "offering a unique opportunity to rediscover the legacy of Francisco Sobrino, an artist who will undoubtedly continue to inspire us always," concluded the Mayor, inviting everyone to enjoy this exhibition.
