The ENAIRE Foundation and La Fábrica present the exhibit “Eduardo Arroyo. The Ghost Ship" at the Naves de Gamazo in Santander

Eduardo Arroyo, one of the most well-rounded and prominent artists in the history of contemporary Spanish art, died on 14 October 2018 in Madrid.

At the age of 81, the Madrid native was making preparations for what would end up being his posthumous exhibit, Eduardo Arroyo.The Ghost Ship, which premiered in January 2019 at the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid.

The exhibit, which is being staged in the Naves de Gamazo in Santander and kicks off the programme of cultural events, brings together a set of works produced by the author since 2000, and which engage in a dialogue with the canvas The Archangel Saint Gabriel, from the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art. This painting, which was exhibited in the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1995, is now being shown alongside a selection of drawings and archives from the artist belonging to the Lafuente Archive, along with a selection of the author's personal items.

The title of the exhibit is taken from Eduardo Arroyo's last painting, which he created in July 2018 in his Robles de Laciana (León) workshop, and is based on the famous legend of the cursed sailor retold in Richard Wagner's opera. Arroyo invents a large composition in the form of literary fantasy where yellow and the primary colours compete with the black mask of the Fantômas character, also present in other paintings at the exhibit.

Together with the Wagnerian allegory, Arroyo's work is full of literary references, draped in colours with a large helping of dry wit. Dorian Gray, Moby Dick and his encounter with Captain Ahab, Don Juan Tenorio, Falstaff, Madame Butterfly and Doña Inés are all featured in the Arroyo works that comprise this exhibit, which also takes a light-hearted look at Unamuno and The War of the Worlds.

This selection of Arroyo's works also showcases a monumental triptych that the painter entitled "Tres movimientos para una España vacía" (Three movements for an empty Spain), where he offers his particular take on Spain's landscapes.

Rounding out the exhibit this time around is a selection of drawings and papers from the artist belonging to the Lafuente Archive, a series of personal articles by the author, and the canvas The Archangel Saint Gabriel from the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art.

The exhibit, organised and curated by La Fábrica and the ENAIRE Foundation, makes its way to the Naves de Gamazo in Santander after being displayed at the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid and the Las Claras Cultural Centre in Murcia.

Guided tours of the exhibit and activities

A total of four daily visits will be offered, two in the morning and two in the evening. From Tuesday to Friday, the morning tours will be reserved for groups (associations, schools, etc.); guided tours will be offered in the evening at 6:30 PM.

On Saturdays, tours will be offered at 12:30 and 6:30 PM; Sundays and public holidays at 12:30 PM. The tours will last approximately 50 minutes. No reservations are necessary, but tours may be arranged by writing to actividadesgamazo@fundacion.enaire.es or by calling 697 652 171.

In addition, a guided tour of the ENAIRE Collection's permanent exhibit will be offered from Tuesday to Saturday at 5 PM.

About Eduardo Arroyo

Eduardo Arroyo was born in Madrid on 26 February 1937. He volunteered for the draft early to get his mandatory military service time out of the way as quickly as possible so he could leave the unbreathable atmosphere of Franco's Spain. In 1958, he went into exile in Paris with the idea of devoting himself in journalism, but he quickly became interested in the power of images and their instant impact, and as early as 1960 he took part in the Show for Young Painters.

By rejecting both artistic dogma and political whims, he became one of the leaders of the so-called Figurative Narrative, as the critic Gérald Gassiot-Talabot coined this movement. Even then, his production alternated between violently provocative and corrosive periods and more light-hearted and kindler works. A notable example of provocation was his first exhibit in Madrid in 1963, which was censored and eventually closed by the authorities because one of the bullfighters portrayed bore a suspicious resemblance to General Franco.

Arroyo's work technique relies mainly on collage alchemy. A deliberate eclecticism would lead him to work with all the materials that allowed him to express his universe, resorting to techniques involving engravings, ceramics, sculpture, photographic collages and collages with different materials, before returning to oil and canvas with renewed energy. He would build up his pictorial language through literary and autobiographical paintings, often structured into series in which irony, tragicomedy and parody fight it out.

Despite abandoning his idea of being a writer, he never gave up on writing. He wrote several books, including an autobiography titled Minuta de un testamento, followed by Bambalinas, the Panama Al Brown biography, a book on reflections titled Sardinas en aceite, a personal guide to the Prado Museum entitled Al pie del Cañón, and El Trío Calaveras: Goya, Benjamin y Byron-boxeador, an essay in which he portrays these three fascinating characters.

Eduardo Arroyo died on 14 October 2018 in Madrid. He had just finished the third part of his autobiography, called Diez Negritos, and was collaborating on a new edition of Al pie del cañón.

The Naves de Gamazo

The first permanent headquarters of ENAIRE's Contemporary Art Collection. A new cultural facility opened last July at a cost of 2,159,000 euros, financed by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda (MITMA) thanks to the 1.5% Cultural Programme to preserve Spain's Historical Heritage.

A new exhibit centre with nearly 1,000 m2 of flexible surface area that was conceived and designed to adapt easily to different projects and exhibits. One of them is the permanent home to a selection of pieces from the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, which will rotate over time. In the other, three temporary exhibits will be organised each year.

The Naves de Gamazo, located in a prime location in the Bay of Santander, is supported by the Office of the Vice President of the Government of Cantabria, the Department of Universities, Equality, Culture and Sport, and the Port Authority of Santander, which share the operating expenses in order to ensure the future viability of the centre.

ENAIRE Foundation

The ENAIRE Foundation is a cultural institution of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda that, in addition to managing, preserving and exhibiting the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, engages in a comprehensive annual programme of activities that focus on aeronautical art and culture. Notably, it is one of the institutions that currently provides the most support to photography through its annual prizes - which have become a benchmark for professional photographers - and by hosting exhibits.

It is the only foundation in Spain that combines the two seemingly disparate themes of art and aeronautical culture, bringing them together by undertaking a programme of activities that promote the study, research, knowledge and dissemination of aeronautical culture, integrating history and modernity to raise awareness of the world of aviation in our country.

The ENAIRE Contemporary Art Collection comprises almost 1,300 artworks by the most important Spanish artists from the second half of the 20th century to the present day. It includes works by artists such as Barceló, Tàpies, Chillida, Broto, Genovés, Arroyo and Úrculo, as well as photographers such as García-Alix, Daniel Canogar and Chema Madoz.

The works in the ENAIRE Collection will be shown to the public at the two permanent sites where work is underway: the Naves de Gamazo in Santander, which opened to the public this past July; and La Arqueria de Nuevos Ministerios, on the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, which is scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2022.

About La Fábrica

The Factory is a private initiative that organises contemporary cultural projects involving creativity, design and the arts that bring value to society. It relies on the rigour and humanism of a team of professionals, the involvement of creators from every artistic discipline and the collaboration of dozens of institutions and brands. Every year, festivals such as PHotoESPAÑA, Madrid Design Festival, Festival Eñe and Notodofilmfest bring disciplines as diverse as photography, visual arts, design, literature and short films to 1.4 million people. Similarly, La Fábrica designs, produces and arranges photography and visual arts exhibits by prestigious artists for national and international museums and art centres.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, it provides en route control services for all flights and overflights from five control centres in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Gran Canaria and Palma, as well as approach services to every airport in the country.

In addition, 45 control towers receive ENAIRE's communication, navigation and surveillance services, and 21 airports, including the country's busiest, rely on its aerodrome control services.

ENAIRE is the fourth most important European air navigation service provider, and, in a clear commitment to the Single Sky initiative, belongs to international partnerships such as SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, A6, iTEC, CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).

ENAIRE is the official provider of aeronautical information in Spain.