The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá would not have become a reality without the generosity of the founding artists who answered the call of Fr. Rafael García Herreros to give a broader meaning to their artistic practice.
The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá would not have become a reality without the generosity of the founding artists who answered the call of Fr. Rafael García Herreros to give a broader meaning to their artistic practice.
Each of them, in their own way, understood the fundamental mission of a museum within society and wanted to be part of this utopia which, through the determination of a community, has become one of the most significant cultural spaces in Bogotá in the last half century.
It surely never crossed their minds the scale this incipient collection would reach — begun in 1966 — and which, over the years, has inspired so many young creators through such emblematic projects as August Salon, Fire Salon, Salon of New Visual Expressions, the TESIS Project, Festival of Contemporary Electronic Arts and so many other initiatives to enrich the cultural field.
Nor did they imagine that their works would be digitized to become part of online exhibitions, and that through futuristic devices, children, young people, and adults from any corner of the planet would be able to see their creations in great detail and explore the museum's three floors and the sculpture garden in three dimensions.
In 1968, Galería 19 of the Centro Colombo Americano presented this nascent collection as part of a productive exchange that has continued throughout these decades; today we want to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Colombo Americano by exhibiting these works once again, works that have already passed the test of time and now stand as masterpieces that transformed the visual arts in our country.
We express to the artists our deep gratitude and appreciation for believing in what they did not see, for taking the risk of sharing in a world that preaches selfishness, for laying the foundations of a collection that continues to grow, for broadening horizons for new generations, and for understanding that creativity is a heritage common to every human being.
We will continue without pause this endeavor that grows every day, which embraces the most contemporary forms of expression without setting aside the valuable contribution made by its founders, so that new generations and those yet to come may have in the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá and the Colombo Americano, allies that make it possible to multiply the social significance of culture.
The show will be open to the public until May 9, 2017 in the exhibition hall of the Centro Colombo Americano, Centro campus, Calle 19 #2A-49.