Portrait: 1971-1987

Josep Suñol was part of this moment of Fernando Vijande’s life, resulting in one of the most interesting relationships between collecting and gallerism in Spain. Fernando Vijande maintained from the first moment an original style, betting on avant-garde movements, but also always trusting in his own taste and aesthetic criteria above the trends of the art world. This commitment was reflected by the exhibition New Images from Spain, held in 1980 at The Guggenheim in New York, in which Fernando Vijande had the opportunity to show different artists who had exhibited in his galleries. This exhibition meant his consecration as an art dealer and gallery owner at an international level, and helped giving international visibility to all the creators that Vijande supported.

The exhibition includes works by 51 artists exhibited in the Vandrés and Vijande galleries, as well as current works by the artists themselves, accompanied by documentation on that vibrant and transgressive period. Some of the artists participating in this tribute gained international recognition during the period lived in the galleries Vandrés and Vijande, among them Juan Bordes, Carmen Calvo, Joan Hernández Pijuan, Nino Longobardi, and others. Fernando Vijande also exhibited international artists such as Robert Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe or Andy Warhol, whose works can also be seen in the exhibition.

This project has been co-organised by Fundació Suñol and José Luis Alexanco, present in that moment and a connoisseur of Fernando Vijande’s career.