Eduardo's Birthday Party on Ave. Gabriel

Arshile Gorky Wilfredo Lam Roberto Matta Oscar Murillo

"My friend Cathy Vedovi hosted the birthday of my uncle Eduardo, it was the most gorgeous apartment on avenue Gabriel next to the American Embassy, on a crisp of night, from the terrace, we could see a waving American flag – many stories were shared on the absurdity of the American dream, others didn’t care and shouted ‘the USA is overrated!’ focusing instead on the stunning views of the Grand Palais and the shimmering lights of the Eiffel Tower – my cousin Pauchi DJ’ed, we all danced to Henry Fiol, my auntie served tamales, we played bingo – it was a communal gathering, a celebration, looking at Picasso paintings, Lucio Fontana, Giacometti— a huge Peter Doig painting. It was the perfect backdrop as my dear friend Jacky Aizenman showed us all how to dance salsa to Oscar D’Leon… the perfect setting for a birthday. Among the esteemed guests were Wilfredo Lam, Arshile Gorky, Roberto Matta."

—Oscar Murillo

Fleiss-Vallois is pleased to present Eduardo’s birthday party on Ave. Gabriel, an exhibition curated by Oscar Murillo with works by Arshile Gorky, Wifredo Lam, Roberto Matta and Oscar Murillo.

The exhibition centers on Murillo's 2012 video Eduardo's 45th Birthday Party, capturing a memorable night in Paris among friends and artists. Murillo brings this gathering into the present with the additional presence of esteemed guests Arshile Gorky, Wifredo Lam, and Roberto Matta.

The gallery space is transformed into a gathering place with white plastic garden chairs around the perimeter. Drawings by Gorky, Lam, and Matta are installed on the chairs with wooden supports. These chairs, symbolic vessels facing inward, create a sense of community and conversation. They have been used by Murillo in various performances including at Art Parcours Basel and the Tate Modern. Commonplace yet nostalgic, they retain connotations of disposability, highlighting the ephemeral nature of such moments.

The three featured artists are inextricably linked in their artistic development and personal relationships. Roberto Matta was the first to be initiated into the Paris Surrealist circle in 1935 after meeting André Breton who became an ardent supporter of his work. Wifredo Lam similarly came to Paris in 1938, becoming acquainted with Breton and Matta by association. During this time, Lam began to collaborate with Breton and adopt elements of Surrealism. With the outbreak of World War II, Lam returned to his native Cuba whereas Breton landed in New York, joining a large community of emigré artists including Matta who had relocated years prior. It was during this period that Breton first encountered the works of Arshile Gorky and claimed him for Surrealism. Matta and Gorky then began an impactful artistic relationship with Matta encouraging Gorky to paint and draw instinctively. Their shared exploration of improvisation and the unconscious mind through a symbolic language of abstract forms helped establish the foundation for Abstract Expressionism. Lam continued to collaborate with Breton and travelled often to New York, developing close relationships with Gorky and Matta as well.

The exhibition reunites these artists through works created during crucial periods: Gorky's drawings from 1944-45 coincide with his early collaboration with Matta, and the establishment of his mature style; Matta's 1938-44 drawings mark his time in New York where he began his renowned Inscapes and Psychological Morphologies series; and Lam's drawings from 1941-67 reflect his stylistic evolution after returning to Cuba, where persisting racial inequality and political corruption inspired his characteristic hybrid figures.