This manuscript, found in the archives of the German-born Venezuelan artist, Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt, 1912– 1994), which are now kept by the Fundación Gego (Caracas), is the only existing proof of the exhibition Dibujos para proyectos [Drawings for Projects] curated by the Venezuelan poet and art critic Hanni Ossott (1946–2002), and organized by the Instituto de Diseño, Fundación Neumann-Ince [Neumann-Ince Foundation Design Institute], Caracas (in 1976, according to the notation on the manuscript). Other chronological accounts of the artist’s life, however, suggest that the exhibition actually took place in 1975. It should be noted that those chronological accounts are based on a variety of personal curricula produced by the artist, which mention the latter year. It is likely that there was no catalogue, since it was a modest event organized at the Instituto de Diseño, where Gego was a professor, and the exhibition was in fact arranged for the benefit of the students. The manuscript was probably circulated as a salon sheet or perhaps posted on the walls of the room where the exhibition was held.
This was the first exhibition to compare Gego’s architectural projects with her works of art and design, which would reveal important, basic similarities. In this brief general text, Ossott wonders about the influence of Gego’s architectural training on her visual artwork, such as her Reticulárea (1969). Many years later, the architect Hannia Gómez organized the exhibition Gego Arquitecto [Gego the Architect] (Caracas: Trasnocho Arte Contacto, Sala TAC, 2006) at which those questions were methodically studied and answered.
This text also represents Hanni Ossott’s first curatorial approach to Gego’s work, prior to the great exhibition held in 1977 at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo [Contemporary Art Museum], in Caracas. It is entirely possible that this exhibition arose from the work that Ossott and Gego did in preparation for the exhibition at the MAC.
