ZILIA SÁNCHEZ
b. 1928, CubaZilia Sánchez’s work is characterised by her distinctive approach to formal abstraction through the use of undulating silhouettes, a muted colour palette, and a unique, sensual vocabulary. She is primarily recognised for her shaped canvases, first created in Havana in the 1950s and further developed while living in Havana, New York City, and Madrid. Sánchez’s signature style consists of stretching canvas over hand-molded wooden armatures and painting them with acrylic. Over her 65-year career, Sánchez has explored the juxtapositions between the feminine and the masculine, the painterly and the sculptural, the personal and the universal, the exterior body and the interior self. The reduced colour palettes in her compositions, as well as the serial processes she employs, connect her to Minimalism, though the sensuality and embrace of the curve in her work bear witness to the distinctive language Sánchez has developed.
Sánchez’s work had rarely been seen outside of Puerto Rico before her 2013 survey at Artists Space, New York, and 2014 solo exhibition at Galerie Lelong & Co., New York. In 2017, her work was included in the 57th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, VIVA ARTE VIVA, curated by Christine Macel. A major solo exhibition of Sánchez’s work will be presented at the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., in 2019. Sánchez’s work is featured in public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Pérez Art Muesum, Miami; Colby College Museum of Art, Maine; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico; Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico; Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey; Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; and Walker Art Center, Minnesota.
Sánchez was born in 1926 in Havana, Cuba. The artist lives and works in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she permanently settled in the early 1970s.
Text courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co. New York.
Explore Zilia Sánchez's Exhibitions
Explore and Follow Artists Shaping Contemporary Art
A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services