Discover Southern Europe | Art & Culture
This collection by the little-known Norwegian-born painter Anna-Eva Bergman was inspired by her travels between Norway and southern Spain from 1962 to 1971.
Anna-Eva Bergman:
Interpreter of light For many who love travel, experiencing new places and new continents is about the hunt for new horizons, bright lights and undiscovered gems. Now, a new art display in Valencia on Spain’s eastern coast is showcasing an unusual and expansive mix of all three. TEXT: HANNAH JANE THOMPSON | PHOTOS: JABALI STUDIO
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he Bombas Gens Centre d’Art on the Avenida de Burjassot, opened in July 2017 and promoted by Fundació Per Amor A L’Art, is home to more than 2,200 artworks from 200 artists. The Centre, which is just 20 minutes’ walk from the city’s central market, is also home to a social day centre, as well as a research and health centre. The striking building’s strong lines and vaulted ceilings hark back to its past as a hydraulic pump factory (the name ‘Bombas Gens’ translates as ‘hydraulic pump’). This might seem an odd place to host an exhibition focusing on light and travel, but a
58 | Issue 3 | April 2019
new show from 20th-century Norwegian artist Anna-Eva Bergman – called From North to South, Rhythms – does just that, occupying the bright space with ease. The largely unknown collection comprises paintings created between 1962 and 1971, inspired by a series of trips Bergman made between her birth country of Norway and – fittingly – southern Spain. It is clear: this work belongs here. This in itself is significant: one of the gallery’s main aims in hosting the event was to raise awareness of this underrated painter, whose art is largely unknown in Spain.
Indeed, Bergman remains a mysterious figure for many, despite having since been described as ‘one of the most important abstract artists of the twentieth century’, and even being compared to the giant of abstract art – Mark Rothko. This theme runs through many of the projects at Bombas Gens, with the parent foundation – the family-run Fundació Per Amor a l’Art – stating a clear intention to highlight artists who might not usually be seen elsewhere. Photo: Frank Gómez