Poetic resistance to Pierre Gonnord’s maelstrom in the ABC Cultural space

In the context of arc 2025, where the maelstrom of the market and the immediacy of the show often impose its law, the stand of Cultural ABC has achieved something unusual: generate a space of contemplation and recollection from the elegant and sincere prominence of the work itself.

The monographic proposal dedicated to Pierre Gonnord not only claims the expressive power of the portrait, but also Revalue photography within the contemporary art circuit, where its presence remains a minority. In this posthumous tribute to the photographer, the selection of works configures a route that highlights the timelessness of his gaze and the humanistic burden of his work.

Gonnord’s legacy is based on his ability to capture the dignity of those whom history tends to relegate the margins. His work is a Exercise of resistance against invisibility, a declaration of intentions about the beauty of the singular. The arrangement of the pieces in the ESND of Cultural ABC responds to this same vocation: each monumental portrait establishes a direct dialogue with the viewer, eliminating any aesthetic or conceptual barrier that could interfere in the communication between the image and whoever observes it.

However, there is the bittersweet feeling that this proposal, which has made so much to highlight the transcendence of his work, would have been even more special if he had arrived before. It would have been wonderful that Pierre Gonnord himself could have seen this recognition in life, enjoying the value of his work in an environment where he already had the presence of the hand of Juana de Aizpuru Since its inception.

A special milestone

His work was always recognized, but a proposal of this magnitude in such an influential space and wrapped by the sector would have meant a special milestone. Even this project would not have been possible without her husband’s figure, José Luis Maroto, great connoisseur of his work and custodian of his legacy. Its involvement has been key to the selection of pieces, ensuring that each image shown faithfully reflects the essence of Gonnord opening the doors of his world.

The selection is structured around several of the most emblematic series of the artist: ‘Regards’, ‘Utopics’, ‘Alentejo’ and ‘Nature Tales’. Each of them encapsulates a different facet of its exploration of the human face, although they all share the same essence: The search for the transcendent in the physiognomy of everyday life.

Among the selected pieces stand out ‘Bimba and Delfín’ (2000), at the start of the route, a portrait that exemplifies the compassionate and penetrating look of the photographer. Part of the series ‘Rens’, this image is a Testimony of humanity that lives in faces of those who have been traditionally ignored by the great narrative of Western art. The monumentality of the format and the dramatic use of light They refer us to baroque painting, establishing an almost spiritual connection with the work of artists as Caravaggio or Ribera, as well as the dark composition of Nonell.

Another of the key pieces in the tour is ‘Antonio’ ​​(2004), belonging to the series ‘Utopics’. Here, Gonnord reinforces his interest in documenting communities that subsist on the margins of society. His portrayed is a man with firm look and introspective expression, whose dignity is imposed with the same force as a classic oil. At this point, the photographer’s work shows that the portrait is not only an image, but a story arrested in time.

The selection also includes ‘María, João and Isaac’ (2014), from the ‘Altejo’ series, a work that highlights Gonnord’s interest in Rural identity and roots to the earth. In this piece, the artist captures the essence of a suspended time, where tradition and modernity live in a delicate balance. Photography is not only a visual testimony, but a document of the collective memory of a community.

Finally, the series ‘Nature Tales’ contributes a more conceptual dimension to the whole, with diptychs such as ‘Armando II & Héctor’ (2019). In this image, Gonnord transcends the idea of ​​the classic portrait to explore the relationship between the human being and its surroundings. The pictorialist approach is maintained, But here nature acquires an unexpected prominence, suggesting a symbiosis between the character and the landscape that surrounds it.

A simple and intimate character

The design of the ESND of Cultural ABC responds to the need to provide exposure to a simple and intimate character. In a fair where excess stimuli is the norm, the arrangement of the pieces and the use of a neutral color palette on the walls allow A more leisurely contemplation experience. The height at which the works and the symmetrical disposition have contribute to reinforce the Sensation of direct encounter with each portrait. Another fundamental aspect is The lighting, which has been worked to highlight the pictorial quality of the images.

While photography has managed to consolidate as a fundamental discipline within contemporary art, its presence in fairs as an arc remains reduced compared to other media. The ABC Cultural’s commitment to a monographic of Pierre Gonnord is not only a tribute to his legacy, but also a gesture of claiming the sector that has wrapped the proposal excitingly.

In the words of Javier Díaz Guardiola, commissioner of the proposal, Gonnord knew how to establish a bridge between the pictorial tradition and photographic modernity, and this exhibition is proof of this. Its portraits, loaded with a psychological density that He refers us to the Spanish Golden Age, dialogue with contemporary concerns about identity, exclusion and memory. In this sense, the ESNAND of ABC Cultural not only fulfills the function of exhibiting a relevant work, but also invites reflection On the role of the image in the construction of our other perception and of ourselves.

In a context marked by the immediacy and speculation of the art market, the proposal is erected as an oasis of depth and sensitivity. Far from noise and visual saturation that characterizes many fair proposals, this stand manages to generate a poetic resistance space where The image is not only observed, but it feels.

Pierre Gonnord

‘Pierre Gonnord’s portrait (s). Cultural ABC stand. Pavilion 9. Commissioner: Javier Díaz-Guardiola

A tribute to the height of an artist whose work continues to vibrate with the intensity of the first day and that thanks to the work and dedication of José Luis Maroto, this legacy remains alive. His work as custodian and diffuser of Gonnord’s work guarantees that its impact continues to grow and reach new generations of spectators.