Peter Halley (New York, 1953) is considered a contemporary classic and one of the most influential artists internationally, recognized in the 1980s as a proponent of the neo-geo movement. Although he employs geometry as the foundation of his works, he consistently emphasizes its connection to a figurative reference: the space and time of our society, as well as its political and social context—the enclosed environment in which we live.

Although he employs geometry as the foundation of his works, he consistently emphasizes its connection to a figurative reference: the space and time of our society, as well as its political and social context—the enclosed environment in which we live.

The selection of 20 works, drawn from both private and public Spanish collections, has been meticulously curated by Guillermo Solana, the museum's artistic director, along with the artist himself, who also designed the layout and installation of the exhibition.

Around 1980, Halley transformed the tradition of geometric abstract art that dominated the 20th century, which had been controlled by idealistic and formalist ideas, placing it in a social context.

For the pioneers of abstraction, geometry represented an ideal rationality with utopian value; however, Halley reinterprets and modifies this geometry as a means of confinement and social control, infused with dystopian undertones, both in his painting and his critical and theoretical essays.

The square, almost religiously revered from Malévich to Josef Albers, becomes in his works icons of prisons, cells, and tubes, presented with a critical humor. In his compositions, which evoke integrated circuits and flow diagrams, Peter Halley anticipates a digital society characterized by systematic isolation and total interconnection. He has established himself as one of the boldest and most experimental colorists of our time, using a palette of fluorescent colors that alludes to the energy of electronic screens.

In his compositions, which evoke integrated circuits and flow diagrams, Peter Halley anticipates a digital society characterized by systematic isolation and total interconnection.

Since his beginnings as an independent and radical artist, he has continued his trajectory to this day without the backing of a major gallery, collaborating in each country with galleries he truly trusts. The exhibition at the Thyssen Museum highlights the significant reception his work has had in Spain over nearly four decades.

Following its presentation in Madrid, the exhibition will be on view at the Casal Solleric in Palma de Mallorca from March 22 to May 25, 2025.

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