Huguette Caland's First Major European Retrospective Opens at Museo Reina Sofía

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid presents 'A Life in a Few Lines,' the first major European retrospective of Huguette Caland's work, curated by Hannah Feldman. The exhibition chronicles the Lebanese artist's life and career, running until 25 August. Born into a political family in Beirut, Caland began her artistic journey in her thirties at the American University in Beirut after her father's death from cancer in 1964, which marked a new chapter of freedom. She moved to Paris in 1970, where she created celebrated series like 'Bribes de corps' and collaborated with Pierre Cardin on kaftans. The show features key works such as 'Soleil Rouge / Cancer' (1964), 'Check Point (Bribes de corps) ou Sourire interrompu par le départ' (1974), and 'Moi, Moustafa et Paul' (1970), a self-portrait depicting her with her husband Paul and lover Moustafa. Caland's work explores themes of body image, sexuality, and politics, with pieces like 'Guerre incivile' (1981) addressing the Lebanese Civil War. She co-founded the NGO Inaash in 1969 to support Palestinian women in refugee camps. After her Romanian lover George Apostu's death in 1986, she moved to California, producing later works in Venice, California, before returning to Beirut, where she died in 2019. The exhibition provides intimate access to her private world, including sketches of memories with Apostu and reflections on aging and place.