San Diego Museum Of Art To Present Eduardo Chillida Retrospective For Artists Centennial

The San Diego Museum of Art has announced it will host “Eduardo Chillida: Convergence,” the most comprehensive U.S. exhibition of the Spanish sculptors work in nearly five decades.

Opening Aug. 2, 2025, and running through Feb. 8, 2026, the exhibition coincides with the centenary of Chillidas birth and marks SDMA as the only American venue participating in the global centenary celebration.

Featuring more than 85 works spanning Chillidas prolific career, the exhibition includes large-scale sculptures, works on paper, and a virtual reality experience. His preferred materials — iron, oak, alabaster, and clay — are on display alongside pieces that explore his recurring themes of nature, space and the metaphysical.

“Eduardo Chillidas work is a testament to the harmonious relationship between humanity, material, and space,” said Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO of SDMA. “We are thrilled to bring this extraordinary exhibition to San Diego, offering our community an opportunity to experience the profound beauty and philosophy embedded in Chillidas creations.”

The exhibition will reunite major pieces for the first time in decades, including monumental wood sculptures from the “Rough Chant” (Abesti gogorra) series, held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Art Institute of Chicago. A dedicated section highlights his “Comb of the Wind” works, which unite land, sea, and air, and showcase his hallmark use of negative space.

Visitors can also explore Chillidas “Comb of the Wind” installation on the coast of San Sebastián through an immersive virtual reality experience, complete with 360-degree visuals, soundscapes, and even a scent designed to evoke sea air and weathered steel. Due to operational costs for this component, the VR experience includes a $7 charge for nonmembers and requires timed reservations.

The artists connection to San Diego dates back to 1986, when he participated in a symposium and concurrent exhibition at the Tasende Gallery in La Jolla. Chillida’s relationship with the gallery, led by Basque-born Jose Tasende, helped foster a cultural exchange that brought his work to American audiences.

“It is an honor to preserve and share Eduardo Chillida’s legacy,” said Mikel Chillida, Eduardo Chillidas grandson and Development Manager at the Chillida Leku Museum. “We are deeply proud to bring an exceptional collection to the United States via The San Diego Museum of Art as part of this centenary celebration. Our wish is to share an experience that truly immerses visitors into the depth of Chillida’s work.”

To mark the exhibitions opening, SDMA will host a public art party on July 31 and a ticketed lecture by Mikel Chillida on Aug. 1. A catalogue with contributions from notable figures — including architect Lord Norman Foster, conductor Gustavo Gimeno, philosopher Ana María Rabe, and SDMA curator Rachel Jans — will also accompany the show.

Public workshops and educational programming inspired by Chillidas techniques and materials will run alongside the exhibition.

“Eduardo Chillida: Convergence” is presented in collaboration with the Chillida Leku Museum, the Eduardo Chillida – Pilar Belzunce Foundation, the Chillida Estate, and gallery Hauser & Wirth. Works have been loaned from institutions including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

The exhibition is supported by private donors, including Anonymous, Lani and Joe Curtis, and Zoraida and Gary Payne, with additional backing from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and SDMA members.