Josep Guinovart

JOSEP GUINOVART BERTRAN (Barcelona, 1927 - 2007).
"Abecedari", 1996
Carborundum on wood panel, hand illuminated, on Molí Cubé 250 gr. paper.
Copy III/V.
Hand signed and numbered.
Special edition on the occasion of the Josep Solé Barberà Memorial Prize.
It has been stamped in January 2001 and consists of five proofs numbered in Roman numerals, from I/V to V/V.
Engravers: Martí Guinovart and Ricard Ibernon, La Tinta Invisible workshop, Barcelona.
Measurements: 58.5 x 41.5 cm (print); 73.5 x 55.5 cm (paper); 90.5 x 72.5 cm (frame).

This engraving is precisely inscribed in one of the most characteristic and coherent lines of Josep Guinovart's production, the one in which the artist explores language, sign and matter as expressive foundations. The work presents a reinterpreted alphabet, not as a functional communication system, but as a plastic and symbolic territory, where the letters become autonomous forms, almost archaic, full of physicality.

The thick, organic strokes of the letters seem to emerge directly from the plate, closer to primitive signs or ritual marks than to conventional typographic characters. The background, with its rough, earthy texture, reinforces the material dimension of the engraving, one of the central axes of Guinovart's work. The touches of primary color - red, yellow, blue and white - applied manually introduce rhythmic and energetic accents, breaking the apparent chromatic monotony and endowing the composition with an internal vibration.

Guinovart is recognized as a fundamental creator in the renewal of contemporary plastic language, capable of uniting formal experimentation, cultural roots and ethical commitment.

His work is represented in important museums and public collections, including the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), the MACBA (Barcelona), the IVAM (Valencia), the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Sevilla, the Museo de Arte Moderno de Tarragona, as well as in international institutions such as the Centre Pompidou (Paris). His legacy is also preserved and disseminated at the Espai Guinovart in Agramunt, a monographic center dedicated to his work.