Featured Artists
Antoni Gaudí (Reus, 1852 – Barcelona, 1926) A Catalan designer and architect, endowed with an extraordinary sense of inventiveness and trained in the spirit of the Renaixença, he evolved beyond historic styles towards a creative praxis that opened up new horizons. Amongst his works, some that stand out are, in the 19th century, Casa Vicens, Palau Güell and Casa Calvet and, in the 20th, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, Parc Güell and the church of the Colònia Güell. After 1918 and until his death, Gaudí devoted his efforts to the Sagrada Família, to the search for a grand decorative and structural synthesis and, at the same time, to a way of life governed by a heightened religious feeling.
Josep Llimona (Barcelona, 1864-1934) This is one of the most outstanding of Catalan sculptors, some of whose works have become paradigmatic of sculptural Modernisme. After he founded the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc along with his brother Joan, his work was stamped with a marked idealism and a profound religious feeling. Later he adopted the symbolism, influenced by Rodin, which characterises Catalan Modernista sculpture. Numerous funerary and religious works date from this period, but his female nudes are especially noteworthy, with their great plasticity and profound feeling.
Isidre Nonell (Barcelona, 1872-1911) One of the most important artists in Catalan modern painting, he was a pupil at Llotja, where he studied alongside Joaquim Mir, Ramon Pichot, Adrià Gual, Ricard Canals and Juli Vallmitjana, with whom he formed the Colla del Safrà (Saffron Group), characterised by their use of vivid yellow colours in their paintings of Barcelona's outlying areas. After a stay in Paris (1897-1899) which shook the foundations of his art, after 1901 he concentrated almost exclusively on painting Gypsy women in a marked expressionist style. Despite the failure of his work, he never gave up and finally achieved recognition in 1910, not long before he died, on the occasion of a monographic exhibition held at the Faianç Català gallery. He was also a gifted illustrator throughout his artistic career.
Ramon Casas i Carbó (Barcelona 1866-1932) Trained in Barcelona and Paris, he was one of the most decisive figures in Modernisme as a painter, illustrator and graphic designer. He produced his most significant work during the 1890s in Paris and immediately after his return to Barcelona. These works have restrained colour, soft lines and indoor or outdoor subject matter and are influenced by Whistler and Degas. After an initial rejection by some critics and part of the Barcelona public, he became the painter most sought-after by the Barcelona bourgeoisie.
He was also one of the founders of Els Quatre Gats and, along with Miquel Utrillo, one of the people behind the magazines Pèl & Ploma and Forma.
Gaspar Homar (Palma de Mallorca, 1870 – Barcelona, 1955) A cabinet-maker and interior decorator, his furniture stands out for its delicate marquetry and carving, for which he had the collaboration of skilful artists such as Sebastià Junyent, Joan Carreras and Josep Pey. His activity extended to different branches of the applied arts (textile, mosaic, marquetry, metalwork, etc.) and his workshops supplied decorative and functional elements to leading bourgeois homes during the Modernista period. There are good examples of his interiors in Casa Lleó Morera on Barcelona's Passeig de Gràcia and Casa Navas in Reus, both the work of the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner.
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Gaudí/ i Bardés - c1904-1906
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Josep Llimona - 1897
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Isidre Nonell - 1908
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Gaspar Homar - c1903
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Alexandre de Riquer - 1900
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Alexandre de Riquer - c1904
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Dionís Renart - c1900
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Lambert Escaler - c1903
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Ramon Casas - 1897
