Alain Kirili

Designed by the French sculptor Alain Kirili (Paris, 1946), the aim of this exhibition is to review the collection of Julio González and at the same time establish a dialogue between the pieces by both artists. We present seventeen sculptures and four drawings by Alain Kirili in communion with a selection of works by Julio González made by the French artist himself. After his training in European and US art through the collections of the great American museums, Alain Kirili writes texts about the theory and practice of art, influenced by his association with the Tel Quel group from Paris. In 1972 he makes his first sculptures in zinc, iron and terracotta, and he often uses different combinations of mixed media. Later his interest centres on iron and the forge, when he experiments with this technique in Florian Unterrainer’s workshop. His work shares in the spirit of Post-Minimalism with an absence of volumes, filiform lines and plays of balance. Kirili is an admirer of González and David Smith, both of whom have a great influence on his works in iron. Alain Kirili’s sculpture is characterised by the renovation of traditional media and materials such as terracotta, cast iron, painted plaster or bronze, and he transforms contemporary materials like aluminium and resin. The diversity of media and the spiritual dimension of his creation are also characteristic features of his work, an example of which are his collaborations with American jazz musicians in his installations. Alain Kirili’s work forms part of the permanent collection of prestigious institutions, and he has been commissioned to make several public pieces, among which are his sculptures in the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris and the Abbaye de Montmajour. Since 1975, his work has been shown in many collective and solo exhibitions both in Europe and in the United States. The great originality of this exhibition resides in the dialogue and the confrontation established between Kirili’s works and Julio González’s art, and more specifically in their work in iron.