Mercedes Lasarte
in the Carmen Thyssen Collection

From 22 November 2011 to 26 February 2012

The exhibition Mercedes Lasarte in the Carmen Thyssen Collection brings together a group of works created by Mercedes Lasarte between 1970 and 2011 and which belong to the personal collection of Baroness Carmen Thyssen. The first retrospective exhibition to be devoted to this Argentinean artist, it represents a unique opportunity to show the visiting public a different aspect of the extensive Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection.

The approximately fifty works that comprise the exhibition reveal the way in which the life of the Baroness has become one of the principal subjects within Mercedes Lasarte’s oeuvre as a result of the firm friendship that has existed between them since the 1970s. Among the paintings on display are an important series of portraits of Carmen Thyssen that represent a type of homage paid by the artist to her patron. They are accompanied by images of the Baroness’s son Borja Thyssen, her daughters Carmen and Sabina and several depictions of the Baroness’s husband, the late Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.

In addition to the portraits that form the core of the exhibition, visitors will also encounter a series of landscapes and still lifes characterised by a striking chromatic richness and formal purity. For Carmen Thyssen, the appealing decorative style of these scenes has made them another important part of her collection.

When creating these works, Lasarte’s intention is not just to present the life of Baroness Thyssen but also to make each painting a reflection of numerous special, shared moments. Through an expressive and vigorous use of colour her compositions convey the positive and dynamic character of the collector