PONCE, PUERTO RICO.- The Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) inaugurated the exhibition Julio González: Sculptures and drawings in The Institut Valencià d’Árt Modern Collection, IVAM. The exhibition consists of 39 works, in its majority open linear sculptures -drawings in space- made of bronze and iron, in addition to crafted metal pieces.

This traveling exhibition yielded and commissioned by the IVAM, has traveled to Stockholm, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, and from Puerto Rico it will depart to South America.

Julio González: Sculptures and drawings in The Institut Valencià d’Árt Modern Collection, IVAM brings to light the revolutionary use of welded iron as a new language in sculpture.

This exhibition at the MAP draws a profile of the totality of González’s artistic career, which contributes to a deeper and renewed understanding of his personal plastic language. In addition, it reflects the relation or the assertive mixture that holds the artist between tradition and modernity, which often are conflicting.

González, who was teacher of Picasso in metal works, is considered the father of iron sculpture. He was one of the most outstanding and influential sculptors of the 20th century and laid the way for the use of the iron in avant-garde sculpture of the last century. He forged his style in his eagerness to incorporate space and time to his work, using the principles of influential movements such as cubism, surrealism and constructivism. He also modified the meaning of iron, creating dynamic structures that changed the course of the history of sculpture. The exhibition runs until August 6, 2006.