This week, the Island Council de Tenerife unveiled the exhibition “Óscar Domínguez. Two that Intersect” at TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, showcasing eighty works by the Tenerife-born artist, a pivotal figure in surrealism and 20th-century avant-garde movements. This exhibition, open free of charge until 24 November, delves into the artist’s creative universe across various stages, techniques, and styles, with an opening today at 7 p.m.
“Óscar Domínguez. Two that Cross Paths” is the seventh exhibit dedicated to Domínguez (Tenerife, 1906 – Paris, 1957) at TEA since its opening 16 years ago. It features a substantial collection of the international artist’s works, mostly from the TEA collection, including four of his most significant self-portraits, two of which—Self-Portrait (1926) and Parisian Self-Portrait (1928)—were not shown in the previous exhibition, along with Suicidal Self-Portrait (1933) and Self-Portrait with a Bull’s Head (1941).
José Carlos Acha, Tenerife’s Councillor for Culture and Museums, remarked during the exhibition’s presentation, “This is a very important moment, as we are fulfilling a TEA mission: To always keep Domínguez present on its walls.” He noted that many works, particularly from Domínguez’s pre-surrealist period such as “Los músicos” (1928), are being publicly displayed for the first time, coming mostly from private collections.
Lope Afonso, Vice-President of the Island Council, highlighted the exhibition as “the most important cultural milestone on the island this year,” emphasizing its role in cementing Óscar Domínguez’s legacy both to his island and this venue. He added that the exhibition coincides with the centenary celebrations of the first Surrealism Manifesto, penned in Paris in 1924.
Isidro Hernández, curator of the TEA Collection and of this exhibition, explained, “The first section of the exhibition presents several works from the late 1920s, capturing the young Óscar Domínguez’s fascination with his host city, Paris, symbolizing freedom, bohemia, modernity, and love. The following sections offer a biographical tour, including some unpublished photographs of the painter.”
Hernández also shared that the exhibition’s title is derived from Domínguez’s poetic notebook “Los dos que se cruzan,” published in 1947. He described it as reflecting the painter’s own duality—a mix of extreme irony and bohemia, fierce yet melancholic dissatisfaction in his approach to painting, symbolizing the contradictions of human condition. This thematic duality is echoed in Domínguez’s works, such as in the 1935 painting “Le dimanche,” which is used as the exhibition’s poster.
