Albert Ràfols Casamada

ALBERT RÀFOLS CASAMADA (Barcelona, 1923–2009).
Untitled, 1974.
Pastel, crayons, charcoal, and collage on paper.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 46 x 64 cm; 72 x 87 cm (frame).
After a brief figurative period, the 1950s gave way to a more schematic and structured conception of reality, with a clearly abstract expressionist slant, which he would cultivate for the rest of his life. During the 1970s, his work became more ethereal and atmospheric, with softer colors, due to the impact and influence of American Expressionism, particularly that of Mark Rothko. Nevertheless, structural rigor remained evident in his geometric compositions and Matisse-inspired “windows,” as he sought and achieved a balance between structure and its dissolution.
A painter and graphic artist, Ràfols Casamada trained in Barcelona and Paris. He has received numerous awards, including the National Prize for Plastic Arts in 1980, the Creu de Sant Jordi in 1982, and the CEOE Arts Prize in 1991. In 1985, he was also named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters of France. His work is held in major museums around the world: the Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Guggenheim and the MoMA in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles, the Picasso Museum in France, the Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the British Museum and the Tate Gallery in London, among many others.