Eduardo Chillida Chair: Mechtild Widrich

Mechtild Widrich will be the visiting fellow of this year’s Eduardo Chillida Chair, promoted by the Etxepare Basque Institute at Goethe Universität Frankfurt.

Widrich is Professor of Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (USA). She holds a degree in Art History from the University of Vienna and a PhD in the History of Art and Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her research focuses on public art, monuments and collective memory, performance documentation, urban space, and the political dimensions of art.

During her stay, she will teach two seminars. The first, aimed at Master’s students, is entitled ‘Art and Urbanity’. The seminar explores the relationships between urban phenomena, artistic practices and the built environment. The city will be examined not only as a physical space but also as a field of representation and mediation. It will also address the intersections between public art, performance, community-based initiatives, and issues such as politics, race, gender and technology. In this context, the work of Jorge Oteiza, Nestor Basterretxea and Eduardo Chillida, among other artists, will be studied.

The second seminar, designed for undergraduate students, is entitled ‘Against the Monument? New Forms of Commemoration’. The course examines the evolution of commemorative art in public space, from classical monuments to contemporary artistic interventions. It considers how monuments can make visible not only narratives of victory, but also the perspectives of victims and marginalized histories. The seminar will also explore the relationships between art, public space and political power. Among others, the work of Jorge Oteiza, Eduardo Chillida and Cristina Iglesias will be discussed.

Programme

‘Art and Urbanity’ (Master’s Seminar)

• June 11 – July 2, 2026

‘Against the Monument? New Forms of Commemoration’ (Undergraduate Seminar)

• June 11 – July 2, 2026

Additional Activities

Public lecture

• June 17

PhD workshop

• July 1

Guest artist talk (to be confirmed).

The Eduardo Chillida Chair

The Eduardo Chillida Chair was established in 2011 by Goethe Universität Frankfurt and the Etxepare Basque Institute. Its aim is to promote teaching and research on Basque art within the international academic sphere. Each year, the Chair invites a distinguished scholar to teach courses and develop academic activities related to the work of Eduardo Chillida and the main currents of contemporary Basque art. Named after the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century European art, the Chair contributes to fostering international knowledge and understanding of Basque artistic creation.