After Josep Clarà

After JOSEP CLARÀ AYATS (Olot, Girona, 1878–Barcelona, 1958).
"L’Enigma".
Patinated bronze.
Signed on the right side.
There is damage to the rear edge of the veined black marble base.
Measurements: 24.5 x 11.5 x 13 cm (sculpture), 5 x 15 x 15 cm (base).

Bronze sculpture cast from a model by Josep Clarà, initially known as *L’Enigma* and later as *La Diosa*, one of the Catalan sculptor’s most iconic works. The work depicts a nude female figure, seated and curled up, her body drawn inward in an attitude of silent introspection. The figure’s closed posture conveys a sense of meditation, reserve, and mystery, fully in keeping with the work’s original title. The piece embodies the Mediterranean and Noucentista ideal that characterizes Clarà’s mature work.

Clarà conceived the model during his stay in Paris in 1909, when it was still titled *L’Enigma*. Its presentation earned the sculptor recognition as an honorary member of France’s Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Shortly thereafter, the work won first prize at the 1910 National Exhibition in Madrid and the gold medal at the 1911 International Exhibition in Amsterdam. Its public acclaim would culminate with its installation in Barcelona’s Plaça de Catalunya on the occasion of the 1929 International Exposition.

Josep Clarà Ayats was one of the most prominent Catalan sculptors of the 20th century. Trained in Olot, Toulouse, and Paris, he developed a style rooted in classical tradition, attentive to proportion, harmony, and the serenity of the human form. His work is represented in institutions such as the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Museu de la Garrotxa in Olot, and in various public spaces, including the Casa de la Ciudad and Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona, where the monumental legacy of *La Diosa* endures.