Eduardo Chillida (1924–2002), one of the most remarkable sculptors of the second half of the 20th century, continually explored space and form, working with a variety of materials: iron, wood, stone, chamotte clay, as well as more contemporary materials such as concrete and steel. He also drew, cut, collaged, and engraved. Chillida’s works on paper have always held an important place in his artistic practice. The prints exhibited testify to his desire to grasp the interplay of voids and solids within a two-dimensional work. The density of matter is expressed through black; its absence through white. At times, he seeks the opposite effect. When engraving, Chillida draws lines, but he also studies the accidents of the plate, provokes others, selects the grain and texture of the paper—matte, thick, or smooth—and creates sometimes surprising compositions. His engraved work is dense, restrained, and demanding. It has been the subject of several museum exhibitions and is compiled in a catalogue raisonné in X volumes. For this exhibition at Galerie Lelong, at 13 rue de Téhéran—where Chillida exhibited as early as 1950—the focus is on rare engravings from the 1960s and 1970s.
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