Alberto Corazón (Madrid, 1942–2021) is a pivotal figure in understanding the processes around the theoretical and artistic modernisation of Spain during the period of late Francoism and the early years of the democracy. Setting out from the materials conserved in the Marchán/Quevedo Archive, the present show denotes an approach to the work Corazón produced from 1966 to 1978, shining a light on his importance as a theoretical and critical agent, as well as the avant-garde and multidisciplinary side to his graphic output.
Alberto Corazón’s career as a graphic designer began with the foundation of the publishers Ciencia Nueva in 1964 and, subsequently, Alberto Corazón Editor in 1972 — the latter led to the collection Comunicación (Communication), which would become an all-important instrument for receiving and disseminating texts by authors linked to different branches of knowledge. Also of note in his publishing-related work are his designs for the magazines Comunicación XXI (1972–1976), Zona Abierta (1974–1976) and Nuestra Bandera (1977–1979), all of which illustrate the diversity of his work.
Technically speaking, Corazón was ahead of his time, and in 1969 he set up a workshop with photographer and artist Tino Calabuig (Colmenar de Oreja, 1939) for the purposes of experimenting with silk-screen printing. In 1973 in Galería Redor, the workshop would evolve into an exhibition space focused on retrieving historical avant-garde movements, particularly Russian and German movements, as rendered by the pioneering exhibition on the work of John Heartfield (1973). A further example demonstrating the relevance of visual grammar in his practice is the project Documentos (Documents, 1971–1974), a series of publications featuring artistic proposals, most notably Plaza Mayor, análisis de un espacio (Plaza Mayor, Analysis of a Space, 1974), which in the series Nuevos Comportamientos Artísticos (New Artistic Behaviours), from the same year, presented an international encounter viewed as a landmark in Spanish conceptualism; it was organised by Simón Marchán, with Corazón designing the poster and programme.
The documents displayed in this show enable a reconstruction of interpersonal relationships and visual discursive processes and processes of resistance, situating Alberto Corazón as a key figure in Spain’s alternative cultural scene across the 1960s and 1970s.
Education programme developed with the sponsorship of the 
Exhibition´s details
The group of students from the Art Theory and Criticism itinerary on the Official MA in Contemporary Art History and Visual Culture, organised jointly by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m
Irene Aguilera, Marcos Bartolomé, Carmen C. Santesmases, Andrea Fontana, María Fornés, Paula García Cerezo, Martina Gozalo, Paula Leu Fernández Álvarez, Gema Marín Méndez, Pedro Merchán Mateos, Rubén Ojeda Guzmán, María Santandreu, Vanesa Utiel Jacobo and Rita Zamora Amengual
Documentary Exhibitions, Library and Documentation Centre
Avant-gardes
To Simón Marchán, for his generosity in providing such an indispensable archive and for sharing his knowledge and experience. To Alberto Medina and the Library’s team of experts. To lecturers Juan Albarrán, Alicia Fuentes Vega, David Moriente, Rocío Robles Tardío and Sergio Rubira. And to everyone involved in the initial research process.
Education programme developed with the sponsorship of the Banco Santander Foundation
Exhibition information sheet: Design, Publish, Liberate. An Approach to the Visual Thought of Alberto Corazón
