Around Spanish Contemporary Women Sculpture. The Work of Blanca Muñoz

On the occasion of NMWA’s new exhibit, sculptor Blanca Muñoz will discuss her work and her insights into the women sculpture scene of Spain in a conversation with associate curator Virginia Treanor and Sofía Barroso, president of Around Art in Madrid.

Blanca Muñoz is a renowed Spanish artist whose ethereal stainless steel constructions play with light and space. She will be joining NMWA Associate Curator Virginia Treanor in conversation about her work and her insights into the women sculpture scene of Spain.

This summer, a selection curated by Lucía Ybarra of Muñoz’ work be part of the fifth installment in NMWA’s Women to Watch exhibition series, Heavy Metal, showcasing contemporary artists working in metal.

About Blanca Muñoz

Born in Madrid in 1963, Muñoz began her artistic career as a printmaker and won many prizes and grants based on her work in this field. Her interest in sculpture began through her search for volume and three-dimensionality within her graphic work. After spending some time working in Mexico in 1993, the importance of the experience of space and light in Mexico dawned on her and she began to take an interest in light and cosmology which are reflected in her sculptural works.

Her work is represented in many museums and public collections, including Academia Española de Historia, Arqueología y Bellas Artes, Rome; Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid; Calcografía Nacional – Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid; City Council of Pamplona, Spain; Colección Caja de Burgos, Burgos, Spain; Fundación Bancaja, Valencia; Fundación Bilbao-Arte, Bilbao; Museo de L’Almodi, Valencia; Museo de Bellas Artes de Álava, Vitoria, Spain; Museo del Cabildo Insular de la Palma, Canary Islands; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; and Museo Würth, La Rioja, Spain and Kunzelsau, Germany.

Muñoz’ large-scale sculpture can be found in numerous public locations in Spain. In addition to her work at Torre Caja Madrid by Norman Foster, her sculpture is installed at Parque de la Curva de Elorrieta in Bilbao; Plaza del Siglo, in the historic center of Málaga; Palacio de Congresos, Badajoz; and Estación de Príncipe Pío, Madrid.

About Virginia Treanor

A native Washingtonian, Treanor has worked in a number of museums in D.C., including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Gallery of Art. She received her MA in Art History in 2002 from American University, and completed her Ph.D. in 2011 at the University of Maryland.

About Sofía Barroso

BA in Art History, Universidad Complutense, Madrid. Sofia has run two Art galleries: Arte en Europa and Arte Express. She has directed summer programs for Syracuse University Centre in Spain (1992-2004); was head curator at the March Foundation Contemporary Art Museum in Palma de Mallorca (1995-1997); has directed the ARCO Collectors Programme for eight years and was member of the Board of Friends of ARCO from 2000 to 2006. She was also involved with the Collectors Programme for Art Cologne Palma. Presently on the Board of the Jakober Foundation, Zuloaga Foundation and Anar Foundation. She is the president of Around Art, and the delegate in Spain for the National Museum of Women in the Arts committee.