Cecilia de Torres, Ltd.

Inés Bancalari, Installation at Cecilia de Torres, New York, 2008

Inés Bancalari, Grey, Red & Black, 2004, Oil on fiberboard, 13¾ x 13¾ in. 35 x 35 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Red Kite, 2004, Oil on fiberboard, 13¾ x 13¾ in. 35 x 35 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Earthtone, Black,Red & Blue Board, 2004-2006, Oil on fiberboard, 17¾ x 17¾ in. 45 x 45 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Red & Green Board, 2005, Oil on fiberboard, 15 x 17⅜ in. 38 x 44 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Installation at Cecilia de Torres, New York, 2008

Inés Bancalari, Earthtones, Reds & Blues, 2004, Oil on fiberboard, 27½ x 16⅜ in. 70 x 41,7 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Intersections, 2004-2007, Oil on fiberboard, 27½ x 16⅜ in. 70 x 41,7 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Earthtones, Yellow, Blue & Green, 2006, Oil on fiberboard, 21⅜ x 10¼ in.

Inés Bancalari, Red Diamond, 2000-2004, Oil on hardboard, 10 x 20¼ in. 25,3 x 51,3 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Red & Green Square, 2005-2007, Oil on fiberboard, 27½ x 16⅜ in. 70 x 41,7 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Red, Blue & Turquoise, 2006, Oil on fiberboard, 9 x 17⅜ in. 23 x 44 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Blue, Orange & Red Board, 2005, Oil on fiberboard, 17 x 15 in. 44 x 38 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Harlequin II, 2006, Oil on fiberboard, 21½ x 5¼ in.

Inés Bancalari, Greens, Reds, Pink and Black II, 2006, Oil on fiberboard, 11⅝ x 19⅛ in. 29.5 x 48.5 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Greens, Reds, Pink and Black, 2005-2006, Oil on fiberboard, 11⅝ x 19⅛ in. 29.6 x 48.6 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Exedra I, 2006, Collage, 40 x 32 in. 101.6 x 81.2 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Exedra II, 2006, Collage, 20 x 16 in. 50.8 x 40.8 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Variación IV, 2006, Collage, 31 x 22 in. 79 x 57.3 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Ochre, Gray and A, 2007, Collage, 19 x 12¾ in. 48.3 x 32.4 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Gray, Ochre & White, 2006, Collage, 19¾ x 10 in. 50 x 25.5 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Nepal Gold & Black, 2006, Collage, 33 x 22⅝ in. 83.8 x 57.5 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Pink, Red, Black & R, 2006, Collage, 39⅜ x 27½ in. 100 x 70 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Red, Black and Silver on Gray, 2007, Collage, 40⅛ x 31¾ in. 102 x 80,7 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Travelling shapes, 2006, Collage, Diameter: 8⅝ in. 21.8 cm.

Inés Bancalari, June / Junio, 2007, Collage, Diameter: 12 in. 30,3 cm.

Inés Bancalari, T and R, 2006, Collage, Diameter: 8⅝ in. 21,8 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Origami II, 2006, Collage, Diameter: 8½ in. 21.7 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Origami III, 2006, Collage, Diameter: 8½ in. 21.7 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Origami IV, 2007, Collage, Diameter: 8½ in. 21.7 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Origami V, 2006, Collage, Diameter: 8½ in. 21.7 cm.

Inés Bancalari, Installation at Cecilia de Torres, New York, 2008

Inés Bancalari - New Paintings and Collages 2004-2007

Ever since the autumn of 2004, when we presented our first exhibition of paintings and collages by Inés Bancalari, I have followed the evolution of her work with great interest, visiting her periodically in her Buenos Aires studio. This is one of the more gratifying aspects of my job. While there I always stop in front of a large window with a view to the Rio de la Plata and the harbor. During my last trip in May, Inés called my attention to the unusual color combination of the red cranes of the port against the muddy tones of the river.

This artist’s eye is constantly taking in from the surrounding reality, observing forms, rhythms, tones, which she later elaborates into her abstract painting. We perceive the changes in her work brought on by the stimuli of her travels and new materials.

In her recent paintings there are changes in the composition scheme, lines separate planes of color or act as dynamic accents – they are active elements that expand the picture plane to the edge, giving great energy to the limited surface.

These have been four years of intense work for Inés, as her meticulously executed paintings and collages result from a slow and labor intensive creative process. Sometimes she reaches a point when she has to let go of a painting, leaving it alone for a while and returning to it only months later. The result of this concentration is a solid internal structure; each element in her painting is unmovable because in spite of the complexity of the composition each is precisely placed.

Visiting Ines’ studio is a peaceful respite from the chaos of the city. It promotes moments of contemplation and allows the silent music of her unusual color combinations and the measured proportion of the painted planes to capture us. When we take the time that Ines’ paintings demand, we are in a timeless dimension, which is why Juan Manuel Bonet called her paintings “spaces of meditation.”

Working in collaboration with the artist on the production of the catalogue is also an interesting aspect of planning a new exhibition. Inés asked the Argentine writer and philosopher José Emilio Burucua for an essay and he has delighted us with the profound explanation of ekphrasis in painting. While the evaluation of Bancalari’s work within the context of modern Argentine art is brilliantly explained by Maria Amalia García, who we congratulate on receiving her PhD. in Art from Buenos Aires University of Philosophy and Letters.

b. 1946 Buenos Aires, Argentina - lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Inés Bancalari was born in Buenos Aires in 1946. She graduated as valedictorian from the Superior School of Fine Arts Prilidiano Pueyrredón, with a professor's degree in painting. She also studied under Masters Robert Beverly Hale and Frank Mason at the Art Students League, New York, USA, Aurelio Macchi and Luis Barragán. In 1988 Gaglianone Art Editions published the book Inés Bancalari 1976-1987, with a critical appraisal by Rafael Squirru. In 2002 the book “Bancalari, paintings and collages” was published with critical appraisals by Nelly Perazzo, Juan Manuel Bonet, Marcos Barnatan and an interview by Cecilia de Torres.