Alicante University Museum (MUA) honors the renowned Alicante artist Eusebio Sempere with a dedicated exhibition marking the centenary of his birth. The show titled Light of Semper opens in the Arcadi Blasco Room and runs through July 22, 2023. The display features an exhibition route of 26 works from Onil, drawn from MUA’s own collection, complemented by documents, photographs, and publications that illuminate Sempere’s life and art. He was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Alicante in 1984, and the exhibition highlights a broad array of books and catalogs exploring his contributions as a universal figure from Alicante.
For more than a decade, MUA has curated an annual program that presents twenty works around varying themes. Past themes have explored landscape, color, abstraction, urban forms, and artistic processes. This year, the focus shifts from a single theme to a reflect性的 event that embodies the artist’s influence and legacy.
Thanks to the generosity of Santander gallery owner Fernando Silio, MUA has secured the production of graphic works, nearly completed by Sempere in 1997, comprising a set of nearly 180 pieces. The MUA team has curated a selection from Sempere’s graphic corpus to trace the main milestones of his life and career, inviting visitors to explore his personal journey and artistic evolution. The display follows the chapters of his life: Onil and family ties; Valencia and the San Carlos School of Fine Arts; Paris and the contemporary scene; a return to Madrid, Spain; the IT Center experience; Cuenca and the Museum of Abstract Art; recognition by Alicante and its public; and Sempere’s relationship with the University of Alicante (AU).
The exhibition includes a didactic workshop aimed at children, primary, secondary, high school, and university students, along with additional activities announced throughout the course. The program notes that the workshop for Light of Semper was piloted with students from schools and institutes, and with university students in topics related to Didactics of Plastic Expression at UA, validating the relevance of materials and creative processes.
The workshop runs from October 17 to May 11, 2023, emphasizing high participation in both guided room discussions and hands-on activities. The project invites visitors to experiment with optical art and geometric abstraction, blending lines, colors, and transparencies around themes such as landscape, geometry, memory, and literature, mirroring Sempere’s practice in his era.
Eusebio Sempere, a Frenchman in Madrid
From the MUA Didactic Area, programs are tailored to the age of participants. This season offers two activities: one for children in the early primary years and another for students from grade 3 onward, each with distinct materials and angles. The Didactic Field of the museum has designed a second initiative for the course, PLURI-IDENTITATS 2023 (Cycles for middle and high school and education from March 1 to May 11, 2023).
The PLURI-IDENTITATS 2023 call frames an immersion into multidisciplinary artworks that address concepts such as emotional and sexual diversity, expressive pluralism, and multiculturalism. The educational event begins with a dynamic gallery visit and continues with activities that foster discussion, reflection, and awareness of the topics addressed.
Eusebio Sempere (Decade, 1923-1985)
As a pivotal figure in the Spanish art scene of the late 20th century, Sempere stands as Alicante’s most internationally recognized contemporary artist. He received the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts in 1983 and was named Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Alicante in 1984. His body of work is closely linked to serigraphy, lyrical abstraction, and the realms of optical and kinetic art.
Sempere and AU
On January 4, 1984, the University of Alicante granted him the first Doctor Honoris Causa, recognizing his prolific career, the coherence of his plastic thinking, and the aesthetic reflection his work sparked. Even after his passing, the bond with AU remains strong: the university’s emblem was inspired by one of his gouaches from 1956, and AU acquired most of his graphic works between 1996 and 1999, totaling more than 175 plates.
In December 1999, MUA opened a dedicated Sempere room. Since then, the museum has hosted about twenty exhibitions featuring the artist, often accompanied by educational activities organized by the Didactic Space of MUA, including workshops, guided tours, and family events. During these years, MUA published twelve books, mostly catalogs, about the artist from Onil. The enduring legacy of Sempere is celebrated by sharing his life and expanding the reach of his art.