Significant attention has turned to Latin American modernism in recent years as global discourses continue to broaden our understanding of modern art history beyond the Western canon. This Art Talk sheds light on the innovative contributions of Latin American art in the 20th century by looking at its development and position in the art market.
Examining the works of influential artists, including Oswaldo Vigas, Wifredo Lam, Rufino Tamayo, and Roberto Matta etc., Axel Stein, Head of Outreach & Development of the Oswaldo Vigas Foundation, shares his knowledgeable insight into how these avant-gardes played a critical role in defining Latin American modernism in its own terms.
The Chairman, Lorenzo Vigas, shares his vision and mission for setting up the Foundation and also how he sees the works of Oswaldo Vigas through both the filial and artistic lens.
Date: 16 December 2023, Saturday
Time: 2:30 – 4:30pm
Venue: 01-G04 to G05, G/F, Headquarters Block, Tai Kwun, Central, Hong Kong
Language: English
Speakers
MR. LORENZO VIGAS
CHAIRMAN, OSWALDO FOUNDATION
Son of Oswaldo Vigas (1923-2014), Lorenzo Vigas (Venezuela, 1967) became the first Latin American to win the Golden Lion at the 72rd Venice International Film Festival in 2015, for his film "From Afar", which the New York Times called a "masterly feature debut" and The Guardian praised as “intriguing, emotionally painful, and brilliant.” His short film, "Elephants Never Forget" premiered in the Cannes Film Festival´s Critics Week in 2004 and his last feature film, "The Box" (La Caja), competed in year 2021 for the Golden Lion in the 79th Venice Internacional Film Festival.
Toward the preservation and divulgation of his father´s artistic legacy, Lorenzo founded the Oswaldo Vigas Foundation, under the directorship of Dilia Hernández. Among many projects carried out, they completed, in year 2022, the first catalogue raisonné of any Venezuelan artist. As part of his involvement with the Foundation, he premiered in the 73rd Venice International Film Festival the documentary about his father, "El Vendedor de Orquídeas" (The Orchid Seller).
mr. Axel Stein
Head of Outreach & Development, Oswaldo Vigas Foundation
Axel Stein studied Art History at the University of Brussels. Upon returning to Venezuela, Stein worked as a Curator at the Museum of Fine Arts in Caracas. In the early 1980s, he became the director of Sala Mendoza, a prominent non-profit contemporary art space in Caracas. In 1990, Axel Stein was appointed as the first director of Sotheby's office in Caracas. By the year 2000, Stein and his family moved to Miami, where he became the director of the Sotheby's office. Later, in 2010, Stein relocated to New York where he became the head of the Latin American Art department at Sotheby's in 2012, overseeing about two dozen Latin American Art auctions (both evening and day sales).
During his tenure, approximately 2,500 lots were sold, with the cumulative net sales over the six years of his management reaching around $250 million. In 2018, Stein left the company and started his own advisory firm. Stein serves as an advisor to the Oswaldo Vigas Foundation and played a key role in structuring the artist's Catalogue Raisonné.
MODERATOR
MS. CATHERINE KWAI
FOUNDER & CEO, KWAI FUNG HIN
Since the gallery's establishment in 1991, Ms. Catherine Kwai has been motivated by a desire to further artistic and cultural exchange between the East and West. Over three decades Kwai Fung Hin has launched over 160 gallery exhibitions, 13 institutional exhibitions, 52 catalogues and monographs, and 133 series of lithographs, earning a reputation for its expertise in 20th century modern art and Asian contemporary art. In 2020, Ms. Kwai established Kwai Fung Foundation for the advancement of education and research on Chinese modern and contemporary art in Hong Kong. This was followed by the establishment of Kwai Fung Salone in 2022, a cross-cultural collaborative platform for art and cultural programming that spotlights local talents and international masters.
