Iván Tovar: Le Retour

A return across time and history shapes Le Retour, where Iván Tovar reappears at the Venice Biennale more than five decades after his participation in 1972. Curated by Christian Viveros-Fauné, the exhibition repositions Tovar as a key figure within Caribbean Surrealism and its global trajectories. Bringing together a selection of works that trace his distinctive visual language, the presentation unfolds through dreamlike compositions where organic forms, symbolic figures, and psychological landscapes intertwine. Tovar’s practice navigates between the intimate and the cosmic, constructing a surreal vocabulary that reflects both personal imagination and broader cultural currents. Framed as both return and reintroduction, Le Retour situates Tovar’s work within a wider art historical narrative, foregrounding its enduring relevance and its contribution to a more expansive understanding of modern and contemporary art.