Albert Ràfols Casamada

ALBERT RÀFOLS CASAMADA (Barcelona, 1923 - 2009).
Untitled, 1978.
Pastel, waxes and charcoal on paper Guarro folded.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Provenance: Private collection.
Measurements: 50,5 x 47 cm.
After a brief figurative stage, the 50's gave way to a more schematic and structured conception of reality, with a clearly abstractionist bias, which he would cultivate throughout the rest of his life. During the 70's his work dematerializes, becoming more ethereal, atmospheric and with more subdued colors due to the impact and influence of American expressionism, and in particular Mark Rothko. Nevertheless, the structural rigor will remain present in the geometric composition and in the Matissian window, seeking and achieving a balance between structure and its dissolution.
Painter and graphic artist, Ràfols Casamada trained between Barcelona and Paris. He has received many awards, such as the National Plastic Arts Award in 1980, the Creu de Sant Jordi in 1982 and the CEOE Arts Award in 1991. Also in 1985 he was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters of France. His work can be found in the most important 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.