Erwin Bechtold & Franco Monti at Estudi Tur Costa

From 20 June

Erwin Bechtold + Franco Monti

The works of Franco Monti and Erwin Bechtold open a dialogue between the material and the geometric, between sculptural intuition and compositional rigour. Monti transports us to an archaic realm, where stone and wood come alive through the primordial gesture of carving and modelling. His sculptures channel the energy of the ancestral, the ritual, and memory embedded in matter. In contrast, Bechtold builds a visual language where abstraction is shaped by rhythm and fields of colour—geometry becomes an arena of tension, vibration, and emotion.

Despite their distinct approaches, both artists share a deep concern with balance, purity of form, and the interplay between emptiness and volume. Their encounter in Ibiza during the latter half of the 20th century underscores these affinities. The island served as fertile ground for the European avant-garde, offering refuge and space for experimentation. Within this unique context, Monti and Bechtold became part of a community of international creators inspired by Mediterranean light, vernacular architecture, and the island’s spirit of freedom.

The juxtaposition of their works in this exhibition reveals powerful resonances: Monti’s sculptural force meets the flat yet dynamic tensions of Bechtold’s compositions, forging a shared visual language.

This exhibition is a tribute to the strength of form, structure, and the plastic sign—elements that transcend time and style. It is also an evocation of Ibiza as a creative crucible, where artists from diverse backgrounds converged and left an enduring imprint on contemporary art history.

Monti and Bechtold also shared a friendship with Rafael Tur Costa. This connection lends further depth to the exhibition: more than a retrospective, it becomes an act of living memory—an echo of a quiet avant-garde that flourished on the island with boldness and conviction.