The PRM accessible Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente, where "Color is Light".

The museum is located in the medieval palace of King Henry IV and its construction dates back to 1445. In addition to the five exhibition spaces, the visitor can also enjoy its Renaissance chapel with its Hispano-Moorish carved wooden ceiling, currently the auditorium of the museum, and the garden where Esteban Vicente's ashes repose.

The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente houses the extraordinary collection of works donated by Esteban Vicente, the only Spanish member of the first generation of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism in America . The exhibition of this Permanent Collection alternates with temporary exhibitions and cultural activities such as lectures, recitals and concerts.

Oil paintings, collages, drawings, watercolours and small sculptures up to of 153 works cover the different creative periods of this artist, and allow us observing an evolution that consolidates in a personal and unmistakable style, in which chromatic harmonies contribute to order and balance on vaguely geometric structures. Although abstract, the own artist has insisted on saying that his works always stem from a realistic suggestion, defining them like "inner landscapes".

Esteban Vicente (Turégano, 1903) is the only Spanish member of the first generation of the School of New York of the American Abstract Expresionismo. He studied in the School of San Fernando in Madrid , marking his Madrilenian time the contact and the friendship with writers and artists like Garci'a Lorca, Juan Ramon Jiménez, Alberti, Luis Buñuel, Juan Bonafé, Bores and the Pole Wladislaw Jahl. His aesthetic proposals mark him as a member of the group later classified as the "painter-poets", as their work was the artistic counterpart of the group of poets later known as the Generation of 1927. In fact, he published his first drawings in two literary reviews.

In 1936 he moved to New York , and after a brief period of activity in the service of the Spanish Republic , he entered fully into the artistic life of the metropolis. In 1940 he became an American citizen and then began a period of creative crisis that would lead to his encounter with Abstract Expressionism.

All throughout his life, Esteban Vicente developed an important educational work teaching at the most prestigious institutions in the United States . Spanish in the USA and American in Spain , it was not until 1,991 that he obtained ample recognition in his own country.

The rehabilitation of the palace has been carried out showing preference for a model of ample, aseptic and austere spaces, that contribute to create a neutral and luminous atmosphere, granting pre-eminence to works. The main entrance is at street level and once inside the only architectural barrier consists in five or six steps that lead to Room 4 (which is between the 1 st and the 2 nd floor and quite difficult to solve due to the historical nature of the building itself): the rest of the premises are barrier free . There is an elevator available to move between both floors. There are two adapted toilets on the ground floor and access to chapel/auditorium is provided by means of a portable ramp . Upon request, museum personnel will be happy to assist anyone who needs help.

There are family visits , designed for children between the ages of 5 and 12 accompanied by adults, conducted on Saturdays at 11 am , by a specialist in children's education. They last for about 2 hours. The first part is devoted to an introduction to some of the most significant works in the exhibition while the second part is devoted to a practical workshop in drawing in relation to these works. Participation in the visit is free for children, without extra charge in the entrance fee for parents. Reservations must be made several days in advance and groups are limited to 15 children.

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Friday: 11:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00.
Saturday: de 11:00 to 19:00.
Sundays and holidays*: 11:00 to 14:00.
Closed: Mondays

Admission fees:
General: 2,40 €
Reduced: 1,20 € (seniors over 65, students over 18 with ID)
Thursdays: Free to all.

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente
Plazuela de las Bellas Artes s/n.
Segovia 40001
Telephone: (+34) 921 46 20 10
Fax: (+34) 921 46 22 77
E-mail: museo@museoestebanvicente.es
www.museoestebanvicente.es

Rebecca Arce

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