Le Retour

Opens Saturday, May 9 The Iván Tovar Foundation is proud to present Iván Tovar: Le Retour, a Collateral Event of the 61st Venice Biennale. Curated by Christian Viveros-Fauné, the exhibition celebrates the sparkling oeuvre of Iván Tovar (1942 – 2020), and marks the first presentation of Tovar's work in the Venice Biennale since 1972. Iván Tovar: Le Retour is on display at the historic Ex Istituto Idrografico at the Museo Storico Navale. Iván Tovar: Le Retour positions the artist's transatlantic trajectory—formative years in the Dominican Republic, two decades working in Paris, and an eventual return home—as central to the global history of Surrealism. This reapproach comes in the wake of the centenary of André Breton's "Surrealist Manifesto," which museums across Europe, Latin America and the U.S. have celebrated to reprise the story of modern and contemporary art. The details of these retellings—that is, the alternative histories they encompass, which invariably involve other influences, other artists and cultural agents, as well as other audiences—reshape the history of painting in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean and beyond. The particulars of Tovar's expanded narratives, along with the capacious stories animating Koyo Kouoh's 61st International Art Exhibition In Minor Keys, stack up not just as tales from an underacknowledged past, they propose possible futures. "Iván Tovar: Le Retour marks both an artist's long-overdue emergence on the global stage and a new chapter in our understanding of Surrealism. Tovar's work takes Surrealism as a point of departure, working to articulate global ideas, symbols, and visual phenomena anew, and advancing ways of seeing that elevate a cultural position long considered peripheral. I am honored to bring this vision to Venice, where the conversation about the movements of people and ideas has never felt more urgent," says curator Christian Viveros-Fauné. Iván Tovar has just been honored through the issuance of a commemorative postage stamp, organized in coordination with the Iván Tovar Foundation and the Dominican Postal Institute (INPOSDOM). This tribute celebrates both the centenary of Surrealism and Tovar's universal legacy. The philatelic initiative highlights his fundamental contribution to the history of art and reaffirms his place as a key figure in the cultural heritage of the Dominican Republic and in international Surrealism. "Iván Tovar: Le Retour brings Tovar back to Venice after over fifty years—introducing his work to a new generation. This exhibition is central to our mission to preserve, promote, and disseminate the art and culture of the Dominican Republic. We are honored to share Tovar's work with the world," says Héctor José Rizek Sued of the Iván Tovar Foundation. A monographic catalogue edited by Omar-Pascual Castillo and featuring essays by Suset Sánchez Sánchez (Curator of the Latin American Art Collection, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía), Iván de la Nuez (writer, curator and former Director of Barcelona's Virreina Centre de la Imatge) and writer and curator Christian Viveros-Fauné will be published by Turner Press in 2026. Iván Tovar was born in 1942 in San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic, and died in 2020 in Santo Domingo. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes before traveling to Paris in 1963 on a painting scholarship, where he lived for two decades. He participated in the 31st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 1972 and showed in major museums including Stockholm's Moderna Museet. In 2018, Tovar received the National Prize for Visual Arts from the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic. Major retrospectives of his work were held at the Museo-Fundación Eugenio Granell in Santiago de Compostela, Spain (2014), and the Museo de Arte Moderno in Santo Domingo (2023). The Iván Tovar Foundation was established in 2022 as an institution dedicated to preserving, researching, and promoting the artist's legacy, highlighting his work as an essential part of Dominican cultural heritage and international surrealism. Through educational, curatorial, and cultural initiatives with national and international reach, the Foundation promotes the study, conservation, and appreciation of his artistic output, ensuring its permanence and relevance for future generations.

Visit

Castello 2148, Museo Storico Navale, Riva San Biasio

Venice, NY