The African art collection

The African art collection of the rebellious son of Chilean poetry is on display

The African art collection that inspired the "rebellious son" of Chilean poetry, the multifaceted Vicente Huidobro, in the creation of the creationist movement, is on display in a new exhibition in Chile
The African art collection that inspired the "rebellious son" of Chilean poetry, the multifaceted Vicente Huidobro, in the creation of the creationist movement, is on display in a new exhibition in Chile, in order to remember the legacy of one of the most emblematic icons of Chilean and Latin American avant-garde poetry.

“Vicente Huidobro was not only a representative figure at a local level, but he was universal, as he managed to articulate the literary avant-garde of Latin American and Chilean character, with the international avant-garde”

, art historian Manuel Alvarado, curator of the new exhibition 'Huidobro: between the avant-garde and African art', available until April 2025, explained to EFE.

The room, located in the Universidad Católica Alameda Extension Center, in collaboration with the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Natural History, houses the poet's collection of African art, which he built up between 1917 and 1925 in Paris, at the height of his reputation among European avant-garde artists.

“Huidobro saw that African art was the closest thing to creationism. An art that did not imitate reality, that did not imitate nature, a creative art in itself. Like his poetry”

, the coordinator of the exhibition, Andrea Cano, told EFE.

Comprised of dozens of sculptures and crafts collected by the writer, the exhibition offers a greater context on "black art", a term used in the 1920s to group the symbolic expressions of African communities, a source of inspiration for many prominent artists of the first decades of the 20th century.

The space merges digital and interactive elements, such as a panel on which you can create your own versions of Huidobro poems through a touch screen, with antiques and pieces from the collection, creating a capsule of art, innovation and memory that offers visitors an immersive experience.

The initiative not only highlights the importance of Huidobro in Chilean poetry and Spanish-speaking literature, but also highlights his multifaceted character.

Being not only a literary reference, but also a passionate aviation enthusiast, war correspondent during World War II, and even a presidential candidate in 1925 in Chile.

In this context, the opening of the exhibition is part of the effort to preserve and make accessible the poet's legacy, since after the creation in 2021 of the Huidobro UC Foundation, a joint institution between the Catholic University of Chile and the Vicente Huidobro Foundation, the aim is to promote and disseminate his work through various activities and events.
Thousands of unpublished documents from the author

As part of this project, the university received the donation of 5,000 unpublished documents from the author, which include everything from poems and letters with artists of the time, such as Juan Gris and Picasso, to photographs, newspaper articles and the original draft of 'Altazor' (1919), his most famous work, published in 1931, which reflects his personal ideas and reflections.

The registry is intended for academic research, but also for documentation and public dissemination, as it has been in a digitalization process since October that will allow “Huidobro's innovative poetic approach to take on new relevance in the current context and be accessible to anyone interested in learning about his work.”
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