The first Art Gallery in Madrid

A space where culture is priceless

- By Adriana Ruh

Established almost a half century ago, the Orfila Art Gallery has always stood out as a space where the interest in preserving and spreading the culture of contemporary artistic work prevails above purely commercial gains. Over the past 48 years, its spaces have served as the setting for many artists, painters, and sculptors of genuine vocation who seek new languages to express themselves.

Since it opened in May 1973, it has been located very close to Plaza Colón at number 3 Orfila Street, which is how it got its name. Its founder and director, Antonio Leyva, is a member of the Spanish and International Associations of Art Critics, the founder of the poetry magazine Trilce and the art magazine Crónica 3, and editor of the Journal of Art and Literature Acento Cultural. Leyva complements his activity in the gallery with his literary works,  including the publication of several books of poetry, the last of them titled, ‘Windows Closed Locks’ (“Ventanas Cerradas Cerraduras”), published in 2019, and books discussing the work of many artists.

1978 was a very special year, as it marks the first time that the art fair Expoarts was held in Spain. This event was prepared with the support of many art galleries and specialised publishers in an attempt to familiarise the public with the works of contemporary Spanish artists. Situated in the Crystal Palace of the fairgrounds of Casa de Campo, it had more than 3,500 square metres of exhibition where the public could appreciate works in the participating galleries, find art books and bibliographies, as well as enjoy a sample of music and musical instruments. The programming that was deployed for Expoarts 78 included an anthological exhibition dedicated to Francisco Mateos and a variety of cultural activities, such as concerts, documentary film screenings, and conferences, among others.

The Orfila gallery has transcended the cultural field of Madrid by bringing together more than 400 artists in its spaces, including painters, sculptors, and poets, as well as the various personalities of national and international politicians. 

Throughout the past 48 years, there have been many anecdotes that have made history in Orfila. A unique one is told by the director, Antonio Leyva, about the first exhibition of the gallery: ‘Shortly before opening, he told Laxeiro - who had just returned to Spain from his economic exile in Buenos Aires - my project to open the gallery with a collective exhibition. To my surprise, he offered to do it himself with a solo exhibition. He then had a studio in the house, in whose bass is Café Gijón, a centre of writers and artists.’ This is how the Orfila Art Gallery was able to open its doors on May 2, 1973 with a magnificent exhibition of the most important Galician expressionist of our contemporary age, one of the most valuable in our country.

It is worth highlighting the words that the artist made in that first program: ‘It is a great joy for me to gather twenty paintings in a room and to be able to see them mixed with the public and their opinions...’ 

In late 1973, the gallery celebrated the only exhibition held in Spain by the famous Hungarian painter Elmyr de Hory, who is famous for copying the styles of other famous painters such as Picasso, Van Dorgen, Matisse, and Modigliani.

This exhibition was made from an artistic point of view to get a closer look at this fascinating character.

On the back cover of the program of this exhibition, you could read Howard Sackler’s (Pulitzer Prize Winner for Literature and New York Drama’s Critics’ Prize) thoughts about Elmyr: ‘The value of these works is not reduced even if they represent Matisse, Modigliani or Dufy. Many walls around the world will proudly carry these works indifferent to their origin or speculation.’

During the early years of the art gallery, artists of the expressionist current predominated, both in individual and collective exhibitions. Artists of recognised background, such as Laxeiro, Francisco Mateos, Capuleto, Juan Barjola, Antonio Guijarro, Agustín Úbeda, García Ochoa, Angel Medina, Clavé, José María Iglesias, García Donaire, and Ricardo Zamorano, as well as other creative, have been present in the spaces.

During the 25th anniversary of the gallery, the poet and film director Julián Marcos, who co-founder the gallery with Antonio Leyva, wrote: ‘... it is not only an Art Gallery. Sometimes transforms by Aphrodite into a ship of poets and painters who auscultate the stars and take refuge in the cavern,’ thus referring to the mission the two founders set out to achieve from the beginning: to be a wide space for the expression of cultural activity. In the gallery, the programming of activities, readings of poems, presentations of books, debates of cultural or political current affairs, and tributes to people are all linked. 

We also find the magnificent collection of monographic books, ‘Los Contemporáneos,’ written by Leyva and edited by Pro Amici Orfila Galeriae. The work and creative peculiarities of each art are presented through exquisitely printed examples, making each book a sincere tribute to the fundamental creators of our contemporaneity.

While many exhibitions have been held in Orfila, it is worth noting a few that have been well remembered: Postism was held in December 2004 as a tribute to Antonio Fernández Molina. The artist, who died the following year, was present at the inauguration to read his last poems. 

A tribute to Bertol Brecht was a collective exhibition of paintings and sculptures that included more than twenty artists close to Orfila.

Drawings of Poets was inaugurated in February 1979 and had a great impact because it was the first exhibition of private order that was held in Spain on painter poets. 

Ten Masters of Figurative Expressionism in Spain was a commemorative exhibition of the 20th anniversary of the gallery. Works were presented by Juan Barjola, Alvaro Delgado, Luis García Ochoa, Antonio Guijarro, Laxeiro, Francisco Mateos, Angel Medina, Antonio Quiros, Eduardo Roldan and Agustín Úbeda.

For the 45th anniversary, a very comprehensive programming was prepared, beginning with the exhibition of Francisco Mateos (Seville 1894 - Madrid 1976), who is considered to be the undisputed head of figurative expressionism in Spain.

Subsequently, individual samples of artists linked to the gallery were also presented. The programming began with a sample by the painter María Jesús Pérez Carballo. The exhibition then presented the cartagenero painter Antonio Barceló, and the program of events closed with the international artist Juan Terreros, who had taken part in more than fifty exhibitions in Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates to date. 

Something that has characterised Orfila since its start is its interest in showing the evolution of the work of artists, with continuous participation from many creators who have showed works in these spaces every two or three years. The artists whose works are presented most frequently are Antonio Barceló, Ferrer Millán, Llanos Gallardo, Mercedes Gómez Pablos, Payero, María Jesús Pérez Carballo, Salinero, Juan Terreros, Francisco Aparicio, and Abel Cuerda. Also belonging to this group of artists are those who are deceased, including Francisco Alcaraz, Maruja Moutas, Daniel Merino, Manuel Calvo, Agustín Abeda, Zamorano, Ortego, and Roldán.

Despite years of experience, the Orfila Art Gallery does not escape the havoc that the pandemic has caused in the last year. COVID-related restrictions have led to a marked reduction in social and cultural life and had serious economic consequences for the sector, which has seen a significant reduction in its income. 

The Orfila Gallery created an initiative to alleviate the effects of this health crisis by raising funds. The exhibition is called ‘Save the Look’ and features artworks exclusively from the private collection of the director. The uniqueness of this exhibition, which already has two editions (the first present at the end of 2020 and the second between January and February 2021), was that the buyer set the prices he considered appropriate to pay for the works that interested him, without the gallery or its owner previously appraising a base price.