The Curators Room

Opening tomorrow 17.00-20.00H

CESC ABAD
‘The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret’
(Curated by Gabriel Rolt)
05 – 28 April 2024

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Image:
Cesc Abad,
‘The whisper’
Oil on canvas
150 x 130 cm
2024
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WACD gallery is delighted to present the exhibition “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret,” curated by Gabriel Rolt, featuring the most recent body of work by Spanish painter Cesc Abad consisting of 12 paintings and 2 sculptures.

Each painting in this exhibition holds a secret, reflecting Cesc Abad’s own journey of secrecy and revelation. At the age of 21, he was forced to abandon his artistic career and take over the family business due to his father’s sudden death. For 20 years, he worked in secret behind a fake wall in his office, a space known simply as “the wall” to his employees. Only his family and a few close friends were aware of what he was doing behind that wall. After living a double life for many years, Abad decided to sell his companies in 2016 and dedicate himself exclusively to his artistic career.

Cesc Abad’s practice is marked by a constant evolution of styles, with each one leading to the next. In his latest series, which could be described as Neo-Renaissance, he revisits a the old masters from the Cinquecento, such as Rogier van der Weyden and Giorgione. This choice is not just a nod to art history but also a deliberate move to slow down and reconnect with the essence of our relationship with nature. In a world overloaded with images and communication moving at a rapid pace, Abad’s research to Renaissance painting is a deliberate step back to move forward, echoing the approach of artists like Kirchner and Nolde from the Die Brücke movement in Berlin, who found inspiration in the old masters to forge new paths forward.

‘Kind-hearted’ is a term that aptly describes all the works in this exhibition, welcoming the viewers to reflect on their own relationship with nature and the world around them.

🌈 introducing ‘Paul’ by
/// soon


Gijs van Lith
(Paul Wip)
oil on linen
200 x 155cm
2023

Following the footsteps of Cézanne, Gijs van Lith’s new body of works is a result of experimentation, developing his style by trial and error.

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“good artists borrow, great artists steal.”
— Pablo Picasso


In preparation of the new art season, this week we paid
a studio visit. Hereby a sneak preview of Frans’ most recent series🌈


“When I started working on these new series I took Picasso’s Rose period as a starting point. I was curious about his subjects, the technique and his first steps towards abstraction. After finishing the first paintings I realized I was letting Picasso go and saw the works turning into Franciscus-paintings”

— Frans Franciscus