Catalogue of publications

Synopsis: This book presents different viewpoints of videogames and raises issues that force us to question our beliefs and assumptions. Unlike other exhibitions on the subject that focus on historical, symbolic and visual aspects, this adopts a critical perspective, inviting the viewer to reflect and take sides whilst showing the many different interpretations and potential of videogames: from their impact on the world of art, computing and science to indie games providing alternative views that can help to break down stigma and stereotypes and contribute towards the development of a new social or environmental awareness.

Synopsis: We can find representations of men and women in all cultures and all eras, whether drawn, modelled, sculpted, carved, photographed or filmed. The British Museum's collections that focus on particular civilisations and historical periods, together with works related to the human image from "la Caixa" Foundation's Contemporary Art Collection, create a dialogue from a perspective that reveals how a body can be transformed by means of war or death, disguise, surgery, mutation or creative imagination. It's fascinating to see how an ancient Mexican mask and a photograph by a contemporary artist can ask the same questions: Who am I? How far can I shape my identity by transforming my body? Am I a victim of transformations imposed on me by others? As well as aspects such as the beauty ideal, transformation of the personality, the divine body and images of power.

Synopsis: Beyond the distinction between classical and modern, there has been a constant predilection for fragmentary forms in artistic creation since time immemorial. This approach enables a fascinating interplay of associations and analogies in which the creative process places the initial idea centre stage; a process which displays the imperfection and vertigo of the artist's singularity, which refers to the Babelian dream and the impossibility of achieving utopia, which transforms itself and gives rise to new forms each time; which reveals erosion and absence and which aspires to express the ineffable and the infinite. But many other ideas and multiple concepts emerge related to these six broad categories: experimentation, failure, abbreviation, minimalism, ambiguity and metaphysical yearning.

Synopsis: Jean Prouvé, builder and furniture designer. Working together with great modern architects on prefabricated buildings, his aim was to industrialise construction and mass production so his designs could reach as many people as possible. For Prouvé, architecture and design were tools of transformation at the service of the community and progress was a desirable ideal that would improve social life and overcome inequalities. He experimented and innovated for the benefit of others, so his ideas would be incorporated into projects as a collective response to shared problems.

Synopsis: Catalogue accompanying the exhibition in collaboration with the Cinémathèque Française, providing an exceptional opportunity to revel in the world of vampires. An invitation to get to know all the books, films, actors, artists and aesthetic movements.

Synopsis: With a selection of 50 pieces from the Prado Museum, paintings, sculptures and medals dating from the middle of the 1st century BC to the end of the 18th century, this exhibition provides an extensive overview of Greco-Roman mythology and its representation throughout the history of art.

Synopsis: The artists of the 1960s brought about an unprecedented change in the production, promotion and consumption of graphic art. Traditionally, prints were small-format pieces that were meant to be viewed up close, inside a home or an album, but creators such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Dine and Robert Rauschenberg shattered this intimate relationship. Accustomed to working with popular iconography in bright colours, they brought printmaking closer to the canvas and posters. New workshops incorporated the latest printing and reproduction technologies, with innovative formats that were more reminiscent of mural painting and advertising billboards.
But it wasn't all pop art. The 1970s also saw contributions from abstract art, gesturalism and minimalism by artists such as Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell and Donald Judd, as well as the photorealism of Richard Estes and a return to the figure in the work of Robert Longo. The book also covers the birth of political art, with its concern for gender, race and identity.