Three years after his death, the work of the painter Eduardo Mena will return to Valparaíso in a long-awaited retrospective exhibition that will bring together works from different periods made by this outstanding artist, who embraced the Port as his home.
Forty emblematic works by this artist, who painted the corners of Buenos Aires and the north of the country, as well as a series of characters and portraits, will be exhibited in the exhibition “Mena City Blues / retrospective of Eduardo Mena Concha” (1964-2021), which can be visited from June 8 to August 11 at the Palacio Baburizza Municipal Museum of Fine Arts, in Valparaíso. The exhibition is organized by the Bahia Utopian museum and art gallery.
Among Mena’s extensive work, his beautiful Valparaíso nocturnes stand out; the nooks and crannies of Barrio Puerto, where he captured typical characters and businesses; the arid landscapes of the north; and, of course, the human figure, which he collected in beautiful large format portraits. His characteristic stroke, between intimate and playful, can be seen not only in his canvases, but also in atypical formats that he used, such as stones or doors from Valparaíso, where some of Mena’s creations can still be seen.
“Mena chose Valparaíso to live, paint and share her ideas and talent. He was the inspiration for many painters. “He captured the beauty of the port city’s nightlife and left a very human and humanistic image of the people of Buenos Aires and the intimate corners of Valparaíso,” point out the gallerists of Bahía Uótica, who worked alongside the artist until his death in 2021.
For its part, Rafael Torres, executive director of the Museum of Fine Arts of Valparaíso, pointed out that “We are very happy to present this retrospective tribute to Eduardo Mena, a great and beloved Buenos Aires painter who died recently. We believe that it is fair that the most important museum in the city recognizes him with his work and the compilation that results in a valuable book. We thank everyone who has participated and we invite you to come and discover the work of the great Eduardo Mena.”
The exhibition, “Mena City Blues / retrospective of Eduardo Mena Concha” (1964-2021), will be open to the public from the day of its opening, Saturday, June 8 at 12:00 p.m., and can be visited until August 11 At the Baburizza Palace Museum located in Valparaíso, admission is free.
