Reflections of Pop
17 March - 4 September 2016The Factory and I
1970 Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm Antonio de Suñer collection
Equipo Crónica (1964-1981)
Equipo Crónica was established in Valencia in 1964 as part of the creative trend known as Crónica de la Realidad, which advocated a new, realistic, critical and socially engaged art. Consisting of Rafael Solbes, Manolo Valdés – and, for a few months, Joan Antoni Toledo – the team remained active until 1981.
In their works, produced jointly in thematic series, the team set out to reflect on art, the artist, and the political, social and cultural environment of 1960s and 1970s Spain. The members of Equipo Crónica borrowed from the international pop movement its spot inks, reduced palette and, above all, montage as a compositional technique. Taking images from the history of Spanish painting, the press, comic strips, advertising, film noir and other sources, they manipulated and assembled them in various ways to criticise the ‘Americanisation’ of Spanish society in a period of economic development, Spanish historical and cultural myths and abstract art, among other themes.