Alejandro Marcos in Paris

From March 5 through March 27 of 2014, the Galerie Argentine in Paris—of the Embassy of the Argentine Republic in France—exhibits works by artist Alejandro Marcos. Born in 1937 in Spain, as a child Marcos immigrated with his family to Argentina where he showed his dedication and talent as a painter. In 1963, he moved to Paris. From 1962 on he presented several personal exhibitions, first in Buenos Aires, then in Paris and then in several other cities in Europe and South and North America. Marcos also participated in numerous group exhibitions, among others, the grand salons dedicated to Latin American artists in Paris. During the 1970s he participated as an artist in the actions by Latin America creators living in Europe against the military dictatorships that devastated Latin America, particularly Argentina, Brazil and Chile. The current exhibition constitutes the culmination—undoubtedly temporal—of a continuous artistic inquiry throughout his career within a figurative approach closed to expressionism. As French critic Christian Noorbergen affirmed in the presentation of one of Marcos's exhibition: "The artist-magician relies on (those) secret notes that precede the mental grammar imposed by its shared order (…) He carefully sets aside any reassuring point of reference (…) It is as if Marcos painted with a scalpel." The show includes ten paintings that measure approximately 2 × 2 m, and another ten canvases that measure 1.30 × 1 m. The works were created between 2010 to 2013. They welcome us in a large room with black walls, on which the shiny and colorful paintings full of vitality standout. Although the contrast is imposed only as a necessity, the drawing nonetheless never loses its relevance. Matter is rich and the images are fantastic; they are anchored in reality, in men, women and animals that communicate an unsettling vision of the world.