50 Aniversario

Pier Paolo Calzolari, Günther Förg, Rebecca Horn, Jannis Kounellis, Richard Long, Fausto Melotti, Marisa Merz, Mario Merz,  Joan Miró, Giulio Paolini, Michelangelo Pistoletto,  Thomas Schütte, Antoni Tàpies

On 8 August 1969, Pep Pinya inaugurated Pelaires' first exhibition space on the street of the same name. The Gallery was established in a politically and socially difficult time. However, Majorca was a bustling, culturally rich island, a place that was open to new artistic proposals and to welcome artists from all around the world: writers, musicians and visual artists. One of them – perhaps the greatest artist to ever set foot on the island – decided to turn Pelaires into a meeting point that even surpassed Pep Pinya's own dream: Joan Miró.

Thanks to Joan Miró, Pelaires started collaborating with some of the most important artists of the 20^th century. Over the last 50 years, Pelaires has become a cultural reference point, a place where the works by international artists have been exhibited without ever forgetting the visual, musical and literary heritage of the region where the Gallery is located.

Pelaires Gallery has always supported young artists. It has also followed closely the evolution of mid-career artists and drawn the attention of well-established artists, making unprecedented, international projects possible on Majorca and even in Spain (in some cases). In fact, Pelaires is the only gallery in the country that has been operating uninterruptedly for the last 50 years.

In addition, Pelaires has been operating more as a culture centre, hosting poetry readings, book launches, small concerts, screenings and performances in order to respond to the cultural expectations of the Balearic community, foreign residents and visitors.

Covering 50 years of history in one single show is impossible. Therefore, we have selected only 26 pieces by artists who have collaborated with Pelaires, putting them together in an attempt to reveal our passion for a job that became our way of life from the very beginning.