Toro arremetiendo

Pablo Edelstein was born in Switzerland in 1917 and passed away in Buenos Aires in 2010. He was raised between Switzerland and the Netherlands. He spoke German with his parents, and the first foreign language he fluently mastered was French. He attended secondary school in Vienna, from 1930 to 1935, at the Theresianische Akademie. Even at a young age, he was familiar with the world's major museums. His mother had studied Art History and would take him to see the main collections in Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem, and Delft, just as other kids were taken to the zoo.

By his father's mandate, he studied Agronomy and for several years dedicated himself to agricultural work, but he never stopped studying Painting and Drawing. In 1944, he settled permanently in Buenos Aires, where he developed his vast artistic and teaching activities. Art undoubtedly continued to resonate with Pablo Edelstein, son of the enlightened Europe, fencing and horse riding champion, lover of music and reading, but also knowledgeable about the vast pampas, devoted father, and dedicated teacher.

His formal art education began in Buenos Aires with the painters Jorge Larco and Raúl Soldi and the sculptor Lucio Fontana, with whom he maintained a long friendship. From 1946 onwards, he accumulated distinctions, awards, exhibitions, and presentations in national and international salons. In 1947, he held his first exhibition at Galería Müller, and throughout his life, his work was exhibited at galleries such as Witcomb, Rubbers, Art Gallery, Martha Zullo, and Isabel Anchorena, among others in Argentina, Germany, Brazil, Italy, and Uruguay. Many of his works are in the hands of private collectors. He exhibited both collectively and individually in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Monumental pieces and murals left their mark on public spaces.

He worked towards the dignification of the discipline he loved so much, ceramics. He was a Founding Member and Honorary Member of the Argentine Center of Ceramic Art.

For thirty-seven years, he was a generous and enthusiastic teacher, working side by side with his students. He also imparted his vision and techniques in various national schools of Fine Arts in Argentina.

His marriage to Mercedes Rodríguez, "Nena," lasted over six decades and blessed them with two children and later grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In 1952, in search of an activity related to art yet profitable, he founded a company for the manufacture of micro-tiles, where he applied the technique of enamel and biscuit monoculture. From that time, his work "La cascada" (1962), a mural spanning over ten floors on the façade of the building located at José Hernández and Arribeños in the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires, remains as testimony.

Among many other distinctions, in 2006, the International Contemporary Ceramic Symposium paid tribute to him as a guest of honor. In 1992, he received a Diploma of Merit from the Konex Awards in Ceramics. The culmination of these recognitions came when the Argentine National Senate awarded him a Diploma of Honor for his contribution to culture in 2009.

"Art happens," Whistler once said. And from that inexplicable miracle, Pablo Edelstein's work is a faithful testimony.