A definition of the word "heroic" might include "epic," "larger than life," "impressive in size and scope"—all fitting descriptions applicable to the art of sculptor Pablo Atchugarry. Hollis Taggart Galleries is pleased to present the artist’s first New York exhibition. Uruguayan-born Atchugarry made his first sculpture in marble in Carrara in 1979; by living and frequenting the quarries there, he learned to love marble and “listen to its voice.” The artist, who has lived and and worked in Lecco, Italy, in the Lake Como region since 1982, uses marble and bronze to create pieces that are both elegant and imposing.

Long recognized as a leading sculptor in Europe and South America, no undertaking is too daunting for him—from the 2003 Venice Biennale installation representing Uruguay to the private commission of a five-story high sculpture hewn from a single block of Carrara marble. The 19 more intimately scaled works on view at Hollis Taggart Galleries will reveal a different aspect of Atchugarry’s oeuvre. Carved from white Carrara marble, and pink Portugal and Iran marbles, these pieces achieve a delicate balance of sinuous, ethereal elegance with imposing driving forms.

Vertical marble pieces such as Totem de la Paz (Totem of Peace) and Dreaming New York (Soñando New York) are pleated and soaring, belying their massive weight. On a smaller scale, a deeply veined pink marble sculpture employs volumetric folds that convey a robust, tactile musculature. And in a departure from his marble work, a green patinated bronze created this year still reflects the artist’s stylistic idiom.

Pablo Atchugarry’s reputation as a master of direct marble carving continues to grow; his public commissions are located throughout Europe, South America, and the United States, and his work is held in private collections around the world. In 1999, the Pablo Atchugarry Museum was inaugurated in Lecco. His foundation, opened in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 2007, is a museum, gallery and sculpture park that further disseminates the artist’s work and vision.

We are pleased to accompany our exhibition with a fully illustrated color catalogue featuring an essay by poet, critic, and professor Jonathan Goodman, as well as extensive photographs of the artist’s working process, studio, and public projects that pays a fitting tribute to Pablo Atchugarry’s prodigious talent.

PABLO ATCHUGARRY: HEROIC ACTIVITIES
November 17 - December 17, 2011