Half a century ago, Gonzalo Díaz, decided to create a space for the contemporary Spanish artist. With a restless soul and a sensitive tendency for beauty, this Canarian gallery owner will be a vital piece in the artistic panorama of Spain in transition.
There were the 70s of the last century, convulsive moments for a time anxious for change that young artists did not stop capturing in their works. And in this area as suggestive as it is insecure, Gonzalo Díaz decides to create the foundations of a unique place for the generation of many creatives with different trajectories and techniques, but as he himself says, the Conca gallery is not exempt from receiving some dressings from Franco, suffering several closures by the regime, not agreeing with what was exhibited at that time.
Now, the island of Tenerife recovers part of the history of this space through another art gallery, Bibli, which collects a total of eleven pieces by seven different artists to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Conca contemporary art gallery, and that are for sale. Gonzalo Díaz, a historical figure but little remembered, is able to speak through these pieces that he collected over the years and that show his work to “see and get closer to the art market”, explains the manager of Bibli, Fernando Pérez, who adds that all that work for 30 years, “shows the undeniable creative power of a future that was already present.
The exhibition focuses on the most important stage of the space and the collaborating artists who had an important connection with Gonzalo Díaz. Thus, Gonzalo González, Cándido Camacho, Juan Hernández, Ernesto Valcárcel, Juan Bordes, José Antonio García Álvarez, Ildefonso Aguilar and Fernando Álamo meet in this exhibition in Bibli in which only two pieces do not belong to this period. In addition, all the works of art belong to the Gonzalo Díaz collection, except Los Espacios Inaccesibles, by Ernesto Varcárcel, which belongs to the artist himself.
Do not miss this exhibition tribute to the work done for decades, by a visionary of the art market, in a period that many would not have dared by far, bring art closer to the citizen when art was not valued enough, and undertake in a political panorama not conducive to excessive displays of imagination. Come to the Bibli gallery and you will see for yourself such a feat.
