Martín Blaszko

One of the founders of the Madí group in Buenos Aires, Argentine artist Martín Blaszko (Berlin, 1920–Buenos Aires, 2011) was one of the most important representatives of geometric abstraction in Latin America. In 1945, while participating in an artistic encounter at photographer Grete Stern's home, Blaszko "…discovered those cold and calculated paintings, rendered with straight lines and devoid of any curves, which had an enormous effect on me. I became fascinated by the logic and serenity of these works. This is how I encountered for the work by Carmelo Arden-Quin for the first time (in Arte Abstracto Argentino, Conferencias, Fundación Proa)."

His last exhibition was presented at Malba-Fundación Costantini in 2010. The synthesis of an artistic trajectory, it was entitled Sculptures for the Public Space and included works from the 1940s to his most recent pieces. Rendered in bronze and painted aluminum, these works were conceived precisely for the public space. Since his arrival in Argentina in 1939—following the outbreak of World War II—Blaszko became interested in the public environment and the emotional dimension it possesed. According to him, these realms must make inhabitants identify with their city and feel part of the community. Although his work was recognized during the early part of his artistic trajectory—in 1952, he was awarded the Contemporary Art Prize of the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, for his project entitled Monument to the Unknown Political Prisoner, exhibited at Tate Gallery—and despite his interest in "visually enriching the perspectives of our city," only on of Blaszko's works has been place in a public space—in 1991 at the Hakone Museum of Art in Japan. "I have always thought that sculpture is supposed to be displayed in public spaces. When I draw, I am already considering its relationship with the public environment." During his long life Blaszko had time to challenge the Madí theory he had helped launch and promote. During the 1940s, he began to "paint many works using the Madí theory; through the use of improvised and apparently arbitrarily cut frames and by avoiding any romantic traces. Back then, I believed that artistic creation was basically a rational product, but today I completely disagree with that premise (…) Artists express that which is inside of them, and we do what we can with it. It took me fifty years to reach this conclusion," Blaszko passionately and valiantly affirmed in 2003, as he spoke about the exhibition entitled Argentinean Abstract Art, exhibited at the Fundación Proa in Buenos Aires.

Several times recognized for his work, Blaszko represented Argentina at the Venice Biennale and São Paulo Biennial. His work was included in the exhibition entitled Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century, organized in 1993 by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and later exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.