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The logos of Renfe, Paradores or the ONCE that we all remember if we close our eyes right now are your thing. But it is that the most prominent designer in our country, Alberto Corazón (Madrid, 1942) is also a writer, photographer, sculptor, painter, member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando and Gastronomy and a total fan of wine . So much that he has just opened an exhibition inspired by the liquid element in the best museum in the world dedicated to wine culture (says Unesco), which the Vivanco family has in its homonymous winery in Briones, a charming town in La Rioja Alta officially listed as one of the most beautiful in Spain.
There, in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria and on the banks of the Ebro River, rests Vivanco Suite. Paintings and engravings by Alberto Corazón , made up of 20 works created specifically for the occasion except one, which was already part of the museum's funds, which brings together original pieces by Picasso, Miró, Dalí, Warhol, Tapiès or Juan Gris. Not surprisingly, the Vivanco Foundation (with employers such as Ferran Adrià or Valentín Fuster) ensures the investigation of the culture and history of wine. The exhibition, meanwhile, will be open to the public until June 14 next year, so there is time to plan a wine break to La Rioja with a lot of art involved.
Question. Account Santiago Vivanco [fourth generation in charge of the winery] who felt a "crush" with you when he was awarded last year the Medal of Honor of La Rioja for designing the visual identity of the community. He immediately wanted to meet you and that you would discover this museum. Did you have a hard time convincing him to carry out this exhibition?
Answer No, no, nothing. I had a shot coming here and it was I who said I wanted to exhibit in this museum. It seems incredible. We set a specific date and I started to paint furiously. In the middle of the process I suffered dizziness and I fell. I broke all four ribs and had my right hand immobilized, but I was so involved with the exhibition that I even painted for the first time with my left. Thus emerged Horizon with grapes [a graphite on black and white paper]. And that is precisely the work that I like the most. I also enjoyed the vineyard in silence. Winter [a mural composed of 18 prints]. All have to do with the wine story from the vineyards to the uncorking and tasting of a bottle.
Q.- Five are still lifes inspired by great masters such as Caravaggio, Matisse, Malevich, Torres-García or Morandi. Should we claim the still life?
R. - Still life is considered a minor genre for the Academy, but there she. The truth is that it is the longest genre of painting. Each culture has had its own still lifes and I really wanted to do these. I am very happy with myself to see them exposed here.
Q.- What caught the attention of the museum the first time you stepped on it?
A.- Everything, the museum itself. I find the whole fascinating, its ethnographic character and that way of understanding the wine story. No need to go to a specific work. And that there are wonders: Picassos, Dalís, Mirós ...
Q.- What does wine give you?
R.- Joy, pleasure and great friends. It is something that goes into you. It happened to me with a move a couple of years ago: I found some bottles that I had kept for a long time and I remembered perfectly the moments I had enjoyed with them, the company, the aroma, the conversation ... The wine activates your memory in a way tremendous. That happens with few things.
Q.- Is it one of the reasons that move you to undertake a trip?
R. - Sure. For example, gastronomy and wine are fundamental reasons. That is why I have always enjoyed eating and tasting wines as a member of the Academy of Gastronomy than that of Fine Arts [laughs]. I encourage everyone to come to La Rioja to discover different places such as this winery and this exceptional museum.
Q.- What else do you look for when traveling?
R. - Traveling is seeing worlds, it always nourishes you, gives you life. Gastronomy, wine and music - my wife Ana and I look for the concerts of the artists we like - are usually the reasons that attract me most. Museums in general seem to me somewhat secondary because I have seen them practically all and several times. The only one I still frequent is the Prado . Al Louvre, for example, I will never return. For what?
Q.- What place has marked you especially?
R.- The Atacama Desert , in Chile. I notice that it continues to nourish me in a strange way. It is the most inhospitable place on Earth, but it has something to catch. It will be because I am increasingly attracted to desert areas.
Q.- And what fate do you still have to know?
A. - The trips have been democratized so much that they are no longer valued enough. In addition, there is no place you can go and enjoy it with peace of mind. For example, there is no way to see the Greek temples of Sicily or those of Abu Simbel relaxed in Egypt. Therefore, I am now much more in favor of the inner journey.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more- tourism
- Art
- Spain
- The Rioja
SPAIN Buying an abandoned town with a bullring is possible. Reason here
ENOTURISMORuta by the DO Ribera del Duero most unknown
OCIOManual to enjoy the beaches of Rio like a carioca