Rubén Santantonín

Rubén Santantonín (1919–1969) was an Argentine visual artist. Although he was active in the Pop art movement through his participation in Torcuato di Tella Institute, Santantonín's personal artwork was based more on conceptual and abstract idealism. His artworks tended to involve mixed media that would challenge the viewer's relationship with objects and materials.

Career Born in 1919, Santantonín did not have any formal art education or training, but was largely self-taught. Indeed, he was largely unknown in the art world until 1943 when he entered the artistic world from the sidelines. Then, during one of his first exhibitions, at the Van Riel Gallery in 1960, he was “discovered” by two Avant-garde artists of the time, Luis Felipe Noé and Kenneth Kemble.

Santantonín worked hard to create new and sensual artworks, and while working towards this through his new ideas, he created an immense future for himself. He wanted his creations to fuel the collective power of a transformation movement he imagined was possible during his time and the scope of his radicalism conveyed in his brief writings detailed that at the moment, it was a perfect opportunity to stand up for “unstable art”.

Constructed out of cardboard, paper, rags, canvas, wire, plaster, and other various materials, the Cosas (or Things) were one of Santantonín's most memorable art pieces. Through these pieces, Santantonín hoped to express what he called an “existential crossroads”

When it came to planning La Menesunda, the two came up with their ideas on their first meetings, and quickly followed out their plan by gathering participants such as David Lamelas. During the early stages of this project, Santantonín and Minujin planned lists of various installments such swamp floors, a room full of objects that the spectator had to throw away in order to pass through, a room full of placards, changes of temperatures, and other outlandish proposals that revealed the artists collective imagination and focus on the senses of participants. In each they encountered a different multi-sensory experience, including couples in bed, a cosmetics counter with an attendant, and a room covered with mirrors with falling confetti and the scent of frying food.

Later career and death However, while his name is credited to this exhibition, the reaction of the press attributed sole authorship of La Menesunda to Minujin, provoking him into an existential crisis. Due to this, Santantonín ended his career as an artist by closing his “painter-construction”

1958 - Asociacion Estimulo de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires (solo) 1960 - Galeria Van Riel, Buenos Aires (solo) 1961 - Galeria Lirolay, Buenos Aires (solo) 1961 - Asociación Arte Nuevo, Salas Nacionales de Exposiciones, Buenos Aires (group) 1961 - Asociación Arte Nuevo, Museo de Arte Moderno, Buenos Aires (group) 1962 - (Collage - 13 Pintores) Galeria Lirolay, Buenos Aires (group) 1962/63 - (Ver Y Estimar) Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires (group) 1962 - El Hombre antes del Hombre, Galería Florida (under the auspices of the Museo de Arte Moderno) Buenos Aires (group) 1962 - Nuevos Nombres en el Arte Argentino, Embassy of the United States, Buenos Aires 1963 - Premio Instituto Torcuato Di Tella, Centro de Artes Visuales Del Instituto Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires (group) 1963 - VII Bienal, São Paulo (group) 1963 - L’Art Argentin Actuel, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris (group) 1964 - Seis Artistas, Galería Lirolay, Buenos Aires (group)