Jasper Johns Retrospective at Guggenheim Bilbao and the Gelman Collection's Troubled Itinerancy
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is currently showcasing 'Jasper Johns: Night Driver,' marking the first retrospective of the renowned American artist in Spain, curated by Enrique Juncosa and set to run until December 2026. This exhibition comprises 133 pieces, including flags, targets, maps, and sculptures, thoughtfully arranged to reveal the emotional depth of Johns's work. Notably, the titular piece, 'Night Driver' (1960), was not included, leading to contemplation about the absence of certain works. Additionally, Robert Roos Littman has overseen the Gelman Collection since 1998, which features eleven paintings by Frida Kahlo. The exhibition 'Relatos modernos. Obras emblemáticas de la Colección Gelman Santander' debuted at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City in February 2026 and has been extended to July 19, showcasing a collaboration with Faro Santander while raising issues regarding Mexican patrimony law and public accessibility.
Key facts
- Jasper Johns: Night Driver is the first retrospective in Spain dedicated to Jasper Johns, at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao until December 2026.
- The exhibition includes 133 works and is curated by Enrique Juncosa.
- The title work Night Driver (1960) was not lent to the exhibition.
- Relatos modernos. Obras emblemáticas de la Colección Gelman Santander opened at MAM Mexico City in February 2026, extended to July 19.
- The Gelman Collection includes eleven paintings by Frida Kahlo.
- The collection is now managed by Faro Santander, a cultural complex in Cantabria, Spain, designed by David Chipperfield.
- Current owner Marcelo Zambrano Alanís acquired the collection in 2023.
- The collection has been in international circulation since 2014 via MondoMostre, with exhibitions in over a dozen countries.
Entities
Artists
- Jasper Johns
- Frank Gehry
- Andrea Fraser
- Enrique Juncosa
- Clement Greenberg
- Benjamin H.D. Buchloh
- Samuel Beckett
- Alfred Tennyson
- Frank O'Hara
- Mark Rothko
- Frida Kahlo
- Jacques Gelman
- Natasha Gelman
- Marcelo Zambrano Alanís
- Robert Roos Littman
- David Chipperfield
Institutions
- Museo Guggenheim Bilbao
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Museo de Arte Moderno (MAM) Ciudad de México
- Faro Santander
- Fundación Vergel
- MondoMostre (MoMo)
- Tate Modern
- Colección Gelman Santander
- Centro Cultural Muros
- Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes
- NSU Museum of Art
- Palacio Albergati
- The Heard Museum
- Cobra Museum
- Palazzo Ducale
- North Carolina Museum of Art
- Frist Art Museum
- Denver Art Museum
- Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec
- Albuquerque Museum
- Norton Museum of Art
- The Portland Art Museum
- Philbrook Museum of Art
- Auckland Art Gallery
- Art Gallery of South Australia
- La Tempestad
Locations
- Bilbao
- Spain
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Cantabria
- Cuernavaca
- France
- Argentina
- Brazil
- United States
- Turkey
- Ireland
- England
- Sweden
- Génova
- Italy
- Raleigh
- Nashville
- Denver
- Québec
- Albuquerque
- West Palm Beach
- Portland
- Tulsa
- Auckland
- New Zealand
- Adelaide
- Australia
- Fort Lauderdale
- Florida
- Bolonia
- Arizona
- Amstelveen
- Netherlands
- Minneapolis
- Philadelphia
- San Francisco