Juan Uslé Retrospective at Reina Sofía Explores Childhood Trauma and New York Influence

A major retrospective of Spanish abstract painter Juan Uslé has opened at Madrid's Museo Reina Sofía. Titled 'Ese barco en la montaña' (That Ship on the Mountain), the exhibition presents approximately 100 works created over four decades. Curated by Ángel Calvo Ulloa, the show establishes a tragic 1960 shipwreck off the Cantabrian coast, which Uslé witnessed as a child, as the foundational event shaping his artistic practice. The opening section features 1980s drawings and paintings inspired by this maritime disaster and related oceanic themes, revealing the emotional origins of his method. One untitled 1987 drawing, for instance, depicts a vessel stranded on rocks with a spectral quality that suggests an archaeological find rather than a mere artwork. Uslé, who has lived in New York City since the late 1980s, is among a small group of living Spanish artists honored with two solo exhibitions at the Reina Sofía, this presentation following his previous one by more than twenty years. During a press preview on November 25, 2025, the artist noted that New York felt like home despite its contrast to his rural Cantabrian background. His work from the 1990s onward, created after relocating across the Atlantic, continues to engage with aquatic imagery, interpreting the city's energy as a 'great, calm sea' and drawing inspiration from sites like the river near the Williamsburg Bridge. The exhibition also includes a substantial selection of Uslé's daily photographs of New York, capturing urban elements like steps, bricks, and fences that resonate with the structural patterns in his paintings, as well as more organic forms such as clouds and shadows. While New York is a significant presence, some observers note that Uslé's visual language transcends specific cultural identity, with comparisons drawn to Japanese immigrant painter Gen'ichirō Inokuma, who also developed a personal abstract style responding to the metropolis. The retrospective offers a comprehensive view of Uslé's distinctive and alluring approach to painting, characterized by vibrant marks, tangy colors, and a sense of rhythmic flow. The exhibition will remain on view through April 20.