Antoni Clavé

ANTONI CLAVÉ (Barcelona, 1913 - Saint-Tropez, France, 2005).
"Theater".
Watercolor on paper.
Signed.
Measurements: 42 x 75 cm, 58 x 92 cm (frame).

The scenic universe was a decisive field in the construction of Antoni Clavé's plastic language. "Theater" presents a theatrical or scenographic interior resolved by means of an open, vibrant composition with a great spatial sense, where architecture, color and line are articulated as elements of a mise-en-scène.

The watercolor combines areas of intense color with rapid lines and sketchy structures that suggest sets, galleries, panels and barely hinted figures. This economy of means reveals Clavé's ability to convert the theatrical space into a dynamic image, between scenic project, visual memory and autonomous pictorial composition.

Antoni Clavé was one of the most outstanding Catalan artists of the 20th century. After the Civil War he settled in France, where he developed an extensive career as a painter, engraver, sculptor, set designer and illustrator. His work evolved from figurative expressionism towards material and abstract languages, always maintaining a strong compositional sense. He is represented in institutions such as the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, the Museo Reina Sofía, the British Museum and the Centre Pompidou.