VITORIA GASTEIZ.- One of the main features of the 2008 art programme of ARTIUM, Basque Centre-Museum of Contemporary Art, includes an exhibition dedicated to North American artist Patti Smith, with a presentation illustrative of her work in the fields of art, literature and music.

This North American artist shows different aspects of her ample creative output in an exhibition curated by Laura Fernández Orgaz, deputy director of ARTIUM. Although the backbone of the exhibition is her graphical work, in the form of a selection of her drawings and most recent photographs, the show also contains elements of both music and poetry (a fundamental part of her artistic universe). All this provides an overview of the creative complexity of a controversial, dedicated and committed artist, known for her radical attitude to injustice, wherever this takes place.

Together with the artist's graphical works, the exhibition contains a number of her most significant poems and writings. These were selected by the novelist and poet Benjamín Prado. The singer Christina Rosenvinge also presents a number of musical pieces in line with the theme of the exhibition. Patti Smith’s artistic activity and committed attitude have made her a living legend. She has been the subject of the work of numerous artists representing a range of different genre. A selection of these works are included in the exhibition and features photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe and Annie Liebovitz.

The exhibition was produced in collaboration with the Robert Miller Gallery, which, together with the artist, is the majority owner of the works to be included in the exhibition.