MÁLAGA, SPAIN.- The Centro de Arte Contemporáneo will present “Spain 1950 – Creation in the Visual Arts in the Fifties,” on view from January 22, 2004 to March 21, 2004. The end of the 1940s witnessed a certain recovery of the artistic avant-garde with the advent of groups such as Dau al Set (Barcelona, 1948) and Ladac (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1950). This trend became consolidated in the mid-fifties with the emergence of three new groups that gave fresh impetus to the art scene: Grupo Parpalló (Valencia, 1956), El Paso (Madrid, 1957) and Equipo 57 (Paris, 1957).

In architecture, the beginning of the forties saw an attempt to establish international relations and open up to modern design. Some architects maintained close relationships with abstract artists, while others organised professional associations such as the Grupo R.

Photography underwent a return to the artistic nature of the medium and local groups appeared whose members created a realist movement based on scenes of daily life.

In literature, experimental proposals were put forward that derived from Surrealism and Dadaism, while other, more realistic movements explored themes reminiscent of the paintings of José Gutiérrez Solana, closely related to “Black Spain”. Some of these clearly reflected a firm political and social commitment. There was a resurgence of literature in regional vernaculars: Catalan, Galician and Basque.

The music of the fifties attempted a renewal centred on the composers who belonged to the so-called “Generation of 1951”.

To make these movements known to the public, the exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, architectural plans and musical performances.