Lluis Clapés

LLUIS CLAPÉS (Sabadell, Barcelona, 1945-2018).
Vase, 2000.
Ceramic "al gran fuego".
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 59 x 30 cm.

Clapés' style is distinguished by the intrinsic primitive and mythical ancestral force of his works. Manuel Guerrero Brullet stated following his exhibition at the Cerdanyola Art Museum "Llorens Artigas referred to the great fire as the great test of fire that makes possible the appearance of the finished ceramic pieces after firing in the outdoor kiln at high temperatures. Like an alchemical operation, the great fire was the one that transformed the pigments and molded clay into delicate and wonderful pieces to preserve and survive throughout the ages. Lluís Clapés knows the secrets of the great fire, and over the years, especially in the eighties, he has created an extraordinary set of stoneware and porcelain pieces that today are sought after and treasured for their uncommon quality and finesse".

Lluis Clapés began his training at the School of Arts and Crafts in Sabadell and continued it abroad, studying in Faenza (Italy) and Sunderland (England), under the tutelage of ceramist Josep Raja Brull. A key trip to Paris in 1968 exposed him to the work of Brancusi, whose conception of the column of infinity inspired him deeply. The following year, in 1969, he debuted with his first solo exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sabadell, where he also won the first prize for Applied Arts at its biennial. His career continued to rise, receiving the first prize Ciudad de Manises in 1977 and being invited to the I International Symposium of Ceramics in La Borne (France), before exhibiting for the first time in Madrid in 1978. Clapés' work can be found in the Museum of Art of Sabadell, in the National Museum of Ceramics of Manises, in the Museum of Ceramics of Argentona (Maresme), in the Museum of Matagalpa (Nicaragua), in the Museum of Art of Castelli (Italy) and in the Foundation of Contemporary Art Carlsburg.