Huguette Caland

‘Nothing looks more like a body than a landscape.’ Nowhere is this more evident than in the work of Huguette Caland (1931-2019). From growing up as the daughter of the first president of the Lebanese Republic to breaking away to pursue art and live a bohemian life, her story is as bold as her work. Museo Reina Sofía now presents her first European retrospective A Life in a Few Lines.

Caland challenged the aesthetic, sexual, and societal norms of her era through both her life and her art. Her creations delve into themes such as the body, gender, love, belonging, human existence, and the process of ageing. Interwoven with these explorations is the portrayal of an artist deeply rooted in ideas of community, communication, and the essence of home. The cultural environment in which she lived, along with the relationships she fostered in her homeland, provides crucial context to her artistic journey as a migrant and offers richer insight into her work. This comprehensive retrospective traces the evolution of her artistry, showcasing the visual expressions—colors, forms, bodies—and textual elements—letters and words—that she employed to craft pieces marked unmistakably by her unique perspective.