Art historian Manuel Borja-Villel will discuss the work of Mario Merz on the occasion of the artist’s long-term display at Dia Beacon and recent retrospective at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, where Borja-Villel is director. In conversation with Dia’s associate curator Matilde Guidelli-Guidi, Borja-Villel will talk about key forms and motifs in Merz’s work as well as the continued relevance of the artist’s practice.

Manuel Borja-Villel is director of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, where he most recently curated a retrospective exhibition of the work of Mario Merz titled Mario Merz: El tiempo es mudo (2019). He previously served as director of Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona and, before that, of Fondació Antoni Tàpies, also in Barcelona. Among several other exhibitions, Borja-Villel curated Antoni Tàpies: The Resources of Rhetoric (2009) at Dia Beacon. He received a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Valencia, Spain, and a PhD in art history from the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He lives in Madrid.

Matilde Guidelli-Guidi is Dia’s associate curator. She recently organized Mario Merz’s exhibition at Dia Beacon, which opened for long-term view on November 20, 2020.