GAUR, 1966–2026, auction, on July 4th, 2026 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Terms of sale

Auction: Saturday 4 July 2026 at 3.00 pm Viewing: From Wednesday 24 June to Saturday 27 June from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm and from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm Monday 29 June to Friday 3 July from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm and from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm Saturday 4 July from 9.30 am to 11.00 am For further information, please contact: [email protected] GAUR, 1966 - 2026 At a time when Spain was living under the yoke of Franco’s dictatorship, a small group of eight Basque artists came together to assert their avant-garde spirit. José Antonio Sistiaga, Amable Arias, Nestor Basterretxea, Remigio Mendiburu, Rafael Ruiz Balerdi and José Luis Zumeta joined forces with the then more renowned Jorge Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida to create this movement, a Basque school, and breathe new life into society, whilst respecting and championing each artist’s unique artistic and technical qualities. This movement thus aimed to raise widespread awareness in Hegoalde (the Spanish Basque Country). Whilst the GAUR group (Today in Basque) provided the impetus in Guipúzcoa, the project was to extend to Biscay with the EMEN group (Here), the ORAIN group (Now) in Álava and DANOK (All) in Navarre. For the six young artists in the group, who did not yet enjoy the fame of Chillida and Oteiza, it was also a matter of revealing to Spain—and in particular to their Basque Country—the spirit of global artistic renewal that was spreading in the post-war period. Abstraction and gestural art were gaining ground in the art world in response to the overwhelming figurative style of the 1940s. Space and time fascinated sculptors and painters alike. Basque identity shaped these artists, who in turn forged an artistic identity for the Basque Country. They were thus at the origin of the creative boom in the Spanish Basque Country that we can observe today. The GAUR manifesto aimed to create a new artistic school, in reaction to the conformism and cultural stagnation of the time in Spain. The aim was to mobilise the whole of society, all artists without restriction of medium or doctrine, for a renewal and greater recognition. Whilst this project struggled to gain traction at the time, we can now appreciate its legacy. The construction of the Basilica of Our Lady of Arantzazu served as a catalyst and a unifying thread for this renewal and the collaboration between some of these artists. Stemming from a regional source and a local identity, this artistic impetus generated by the GAUR group of eight exceptional artists deserves international recognition. These artists all pursued intense careers until their deaths. Their legacy is precious, and there is a growing awareness of this artistic, cultural and heritage wealth. Their works are held in numerous institutions, towns and villages across the Spanish Basque Country, at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián, and the Basque Museum in Bayonne, among others, but also in Spain’s national collections at the Reina Sofía, and in France at the Centre Pompidou and the National Film Archive. Jorge Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida are represented by foundations of international standing. To mark the 60th anniversary of the inaugural exhibition of the GAUR Group, held at the Barandiaran Gallery in San Sebastián in 1966, the Côte Basque ENCHERES auction house in Saint-Jean-de-Luz is delighted to organise, on Saturday 4 July, the first auction entirely dedicated to this Basque School. The event will be preceded, exceptionally, by a 10-day public exhibition. Rare works from the 1960s and the GAUR period will be put up for auction, along with later works representative of the evolution of these artists’ creations. All eight of these artists have now passed away. This auction on Saturday 4 July will provide an opportunity for the international art market to pay tribute to them.

See original version (French)

Live July 4th, 2026 at 2:00 PM 64500 Saint-Jean-de-Luz - France

Live

July 4th, 2026 at 2:00 PM

64500 Saint-Jean-de-Luz - France