In Real Time. Rafael Tous Collection of Conceptual Art
MACBA, Meier Building, Barcelona
May 14, 2021 – June 06, 2022

The magnitude of Rafael Tous‘donation has no equal in terms of quantity and quality of works. Close to one thousand artworks have been incorporated into the MACBA Collection, and hence into the public heritage of Barcelona and the country.

In Real Time. Rafael Tous Collection of Conceptual Art is the starting point of a new dialogue between the Tous Collection and the MACBA Collection, one that will enhance the narratives of an important part of the history of contemporary art and the trajectories of many artists.

Emphasizing the diversity of manifestations and attitudes among Conceptual artists, the exhibition includes themes such as action art and proposals related to nature in works that examine the ideological element of images and the power of the media, as well as works that function as devices of political critique, among others.

The artists included in the exhibition are: Francesc Abad, Eugènia Balcells, Jordi Benito, Carmen Calvo, Jordi Cerdà, CVA (Comité de Vigilancia Artística), Benet Ferrer, Alicia Fingerhut, Teresa Gancedo, Ferran Garcia Sevilla, Eulàlia Grau, Josep Maria Joan i Rosa, Àngel Jové, Antoni Llena, Eva Lootz, Miralda, Fina Miralles, Muntadas, Pere Noguera, Jordi Pablo, Pilar Palomer, Carlos Pazos, Carles Pujol, Joan Rabascall, Àngels Ribé, Benet Rossell, Francesc Torres and Jaume Xifra.

In Real Time. Rafael Tous Collection of Conceptual Art is the first exhibition of the Tous Collection at MACBA, and will add a significant contribution to the Museum’s already extensive fonds of Conceptual art.

The show includes a wide selection of works from this donation, comprising almost one thousand works, which Rafael Tous has offered to the city of Barcelona and the Museum. Collected over decades in an intuitive and continuous manner, the works will become part of the permanent MACBA Collection.

A collector, patron of the arts and cultural activist, Tous has always been linked to the world of culture, having established long-standing friendships with artists and creators who are fundamental to the understanding of the evolution of artistic practices that prioritised ideas and process over the object.

This conjunction of works offers a necessary re-reading, through new spaces of reflection, of the so-called Conceptual practices. The exhibition’s itinerary will generate coexistences and simultaneities that will reassess the established narrative and consolidate the international vocation of many of the artists. Featuring 120 works by 28 artists, the show can be seen as a significant journey around the experimental practices of the seventies and eighties in Catalonia from different perspectives.

Action art, the interaction with nature, an interest in the media and consumerism, social and political critique, the word and the incorporation of objects are some of the aspects of the exhibition.

more. www.macba.en