LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.-The USC Fisher Gallery presents today Julio González: Sculpture and Drawings from the IVAM Collection, on views through October 29, 2005. Julio González—one of the foremost modernist artists in Europe during the first part of the twentieth century—pioneered the use of welded iron as an artistic material. González had a significant influence on Pablo Picasso and other renowned sculptors who came after, such as David Smith, Mark di Suvero, and Anthony Caro. And yet González, whose work is so respected in Europe , is one of the least known masters of the twentieth century in the United States . Fisher Gallery—by exhibiting his work in Los Angeles , forty years after his last show here—will proudly host an exhibition of his sculptures and drawings as the inaugural event of its fall season.

“Julio González: Sculpture and Drawings from the IVAM Collection” is co-curated by Dr. Selma Holo, director of Fisher Gallery, and Dr. Ángel Kalenberg, director of the Museum of Modern Art in Montevideo, Uruguay. It showcases 43 rarely-seen works, all from the important collections of IVAM (Valencia Institute of Modern Art). Although bronze and iron sculpture prevails, the show also includes reliefs, jewelry and drawings. This survey illustrates a career that was affected by the great movements of European modern art, including Modernism, Cubism, and Constructivism. González, however, never aligned with any single style. He developed his own distinct idiom inspired by his talent for drawing, his exceptional skills at welding, and his veneration for the human form.