ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Centro Botín stages first major Marisol drawing retrospective

exhibition · 2026-05-15

From May 23 to October 25, 2026, the Centro Botín in Santander will showcase 'Marisol: Cuando todo está por comenzar,' a retrospective dedicated to the drawings of Marisol Escobar (Paris, 1930 – New York, 2016). This exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, will display more than a hundred works on paper (1949-2016), along with sculptures, archival materials, and films. It emphasizes her independent drawing practice and is organized around three key 'displacements': her childhood influenced by her mother's suicide, her travels during the 1970s, and her later years dealing with Alzheimer's. Curated by Laura Vallés Vilchéz, it also features a film by Andy Warhol. Marisol first gained fame after her 1957 show at Leo Castelli's gallery and represented Venezuela at the 1968 Venice Biennale.

Key facts

  • Centro Botín presents first major retrospective of Marisol Escobar's drawings
  • Exhibition runs from May 23 to October 25, 2026 in Santander
  • Over 100 drawings dated 1949–2016 are displayed
  • Sculptures 'Indian' and 'Woman with Child and Two Lambs' are included
  • Collaboration with Buffalo AKG Art Museum, which holds her estate
  • Exhibition structured around three 'displacements' in her life
  • Marisol's mother committed suicide when she was eleven
  • She studied at Art Students League with Yasuo Kuniyoshi and with Hans Hofmann
  • First exhibition at Leo Castelli gallery in 1957
  • Participated in MoMA's 'The Art of Assemblage' (1961) and 'Americans' (1963)
  • Represented Venezuela at 1968 Venice Biennale
  • Included in Documenta IV in 1968
  • Collaborated with choreographers Martha Graham and Elisa Monte
  • She died on April 30, 2016, bequeathing her archive to Buffalo AKG Art Museum
  • Curated by Laura Vallés Vilchéz

Entities

Artists

  • Marisol Escobar
  • Andy Warhol
  • Yasuo Kuniyoshi
  • Hans Hofmann
  • Martha Graham
  • Elisa Monte
  • Louis Falco
  • Leo Castelli

Institutions

  • Centro Botín
  • Buffalo AKG Art Museum
  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Museum of Modern Art
  • Leo Castelli Gallery
  • Art Students League
  • École des Beaux-Arts
  • Académie Julian
  • The Andy Warhol Museum
  • Venice Biennale
  • Documenta IV
  • The New York Times
  • Life
  • Glamour
  • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Locations

  • Santander
  • Spain
  • Paris
  • France
  • New York
  • United States
  • Caracas
  • Venezuela
  • Los Angeles
  • Rome
  • Italy
  • India
  • Thailand
  • Southeast Asia
  • Polynesia
  • Kassel
  • Germany
  • Venice

Sources