Between 2005 and his passing in 2020, every winter, painter José Luis Zumeta (Usurbil, 1939-2020) traveled to Buenos Aires. Upon his return, he would bring back numerous paper-based works, typically in tempera. Six years after his death and six years after the last exhibition dedicated to this member of the Gaur Group in Ziburu, the Arte Bideak gallery yesterday opened the exhibition Zumeta paperean. The show will remain open until May 24.
The artist's daughter and custodian of his artistic legacy, Usoa Zumeta, and gallerist Pierre Bidegain, spoke to this newspaper just hours before the inauguration. Bidegain holds fond memories of the painter from Usurbil, with whom he first collaborated for the 2020 exhibition. For that show, Zumeta contributed a variety of works, including some created specifically for the occasion, which ultimately became a posthumous exhibition due to the artist's sudden death.
“"Zumeta was born Basque, his painting speaks Basque."
For Bidegain, Zumeta is an “icon,” although he acknowledges that the border acts not only as an administrative barrier but also a cultural one, meaning that in Iparralde, members of the Gaur Group do not have widespread recognition. The Arte Bideak gallery’s Zumeta paperean exhibition offers a significant opportunity for his work to become better known. Bidegain recalls a quote from lawyer Jakes Abeberry: “Zumeta was born Basque, his painting speaks Basque.”
Beyond Ziburu, Usoa Zumeta hopes this exhibition will serve as an initial push to introduce her father's work to other parts of Europe, such as France or Sweden. “It’s time to go abroad,” she commented.
During the fifteen austral summers he spent in Argentina, the artist from Usurbil created up to 450 works on paper. His daughter and the gallerist explained that he used this medium because it was very easy to transport on his return journeys, fitting into a suitcase, whereas working with oil paints was more complicated, more expensive, and of lower quality on the other side of the ocean.
Zumeta paperean provides insight into the artist's small-format work, which was not as common in his overall oeuvre but was characteristic of his periods in Buenos Aires. The exhibition features 24 works, dated between 2010 and 2020, which convey “force” more than color – most are tempera, though there are some oil paintings. Despite being abstract, they retain certain touches of figuration that the artist from Usurbil occasionally incorporated.
