José Luis ZUMETA (1939–2020) - Lot 2

José Luis ZUMETA (1939–2020) Composition, 1961 Unsigned oil on canvas mounted on panel. 86 x 145 cm Provenance: Artist’s collection, by descent. Related work: Bilbao, Museum of Modern Art, no. 82/397. A certificate of authenticity from Usoa Zumeta, the artist’s daughter, will be provided to the buyer. José Luis Zumeta established himself in the 1960s as one of the most innovative artists of his generation. A native of Usurbil, his work contributed to the emergence of a modern visual language that was free and deeply rooted in Basque culture. He also maintained a close relationship with Mikel Laboa and Joxean Artze, founding members of the Ez Dok Amairu movement, which played a fundamental role in the contemporary Basque cultural renaissance. His work develops an organic and earthy vocabulary, permeated by chromatic tensions, in which the figure seems to constantly emerge and then dissolve into the pictorial material. Far from cold abstraction, his painting retains an instinctive, almost primitive physicality that links his work to the collective Basque memory as much as to postwar international artistic explorations, particularly geometric abstraction. He has also created several monumental installations in public spaces, including the famous mural in Usurbil. Through its expansive mural format, its rich use of color, and its vital energy, the work affirms Zumeta’s distinctive commitment to making art a shared, living space deeply rooted in the community.