Based in the Basque coastal city of San Sebastián (Donostia), Villa Magdalena is an art gallery founded by curator Cy Schnabel in the fall of 2020. The inaugural exhibition, Some Tendencies in Spanish Painting Now, celebrates the diverse identities that inform the contemporary landscape of Spanish painting. From Velazquez to Miró, Spain has produced some of the most important painters over the past couple centuries. Some Tendencies in Spanish Painting Now sheds light on the medium's character today in Spain. In a context where the local artistic climate has grown cynical over the avant-garde potential of the traditional art form of painting, this exhibition offers compelling examples of the medium's persistent vitality in this geographical context.
A central aspect of Villa Magdalena's exhibition program is the founder's approach. His personal taste and understanding of art determines what is shown and is the guiding light of the space. The result of constant dialogue with each artist: exploring themes, carefully selecting the works, meticulously designing the installation as well as each press release, and addressing every possible detail that narrows the gap between the artist and the audience. Working with both established artists and emerging artists -inside of Spain and around the world- form the gallery's natural vision; which is also committed to the long-term development of their careers. A large part of the program is dedicated to painters who reinvent emblematic references from art history to create their own language. Pictorial tendencies that lie between figuration and abstraction, an ambiguous space impossible to define through established genres or categories.
At the start of the Covid pandemic, Cy decided to return to his home in San Sebastián where his maternal family is from. This city has singular Basque culture, a culinary status unrivaled in the world, and many diverse qualities, including the international film festival and jazz festival. Establishing the gallery in this city materialized out of an urge to add a new layer. Creating a gallery with an international approach to complement the local art scene and offering a new dynamic space for the local public, as well as the global art audience. Perched in a residential neighborhood on the side of Monte Igueldo, facing the bay of La Concha on a road with an uphill orientation, the exhibition space is situated at street level while the house it is connected to sit's above and behind it. The space itself is small but sufficient: the shape of a somewhat narrow rectangle, it is 40 square meters with 7-meter-tall ceilings and stands in stark contrast to the conventional white cube gallery.
