Cinema, Art and Politics
By Mariana Hristova
Pere Portabella & Teo Escamilla
Together with Francesc Rovira i Beleta, Ventura Pons and Bigas Luna, Pere Portabella completes the fantastic four of Catalan film directors, being the most avant-garde among them. No wonder then, that the home of contemporary Catalan art pays him tribute with exhibition Cinema, Art and Politics, co-curated by Portabella himself with Can Framis’ owner Antoni Vila Casas.
Following 90 years of life and career, the exhibition highlights the artist’s multiple vocations. Though part of the bourgeoisie and a chemistry student in Madrid, Portabella preferred mingling with artists and jumped into film producing while codirecting a short with Carlos Saura. Through five sections, we see him as an anti-Francoist activist, producer of Buñuel’s film Viridiana (which caused a scandal and was banned in Spain), generator of influential artistic circles, connoisseur of Joan Miró and film director ahead of his time.
In parallel, Filmoteca will show a retrospective of Portabella’s films.