Modest Cuixart

MODEST CUIXART (Barcelona, 1925 – Palafrugell, Girona, 2007)
“Monotype Series,” 1951.
Gouache and ink on paper.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 33 x 23 cm; 43.5 x 33.5 cm with frame.

Created in 1951, this work belongs to an early and particularly interesting period in Modest Cuixart’s career, in the years following the founding of Dau al Set. The composition combines a reddish, textural background with linear marks, numerals, sun-like forms, and small biomorphic elements, creating an image reminiscent of automatic writing and the group’s magical imagery.

The work reflects Cuixart’s interest in the sign, chance, and technical experimentation. The use of gouache and ink allows for the alternation of chromatic patches, black graphic elements, and almost calligraphic features on a surface that functions as a field of symbols. The numbers and letters introduce an enigmatic dimension, reminiscent of secret language, play, and the surrealist poetics of the postwar Catalan avant-garde.

Modest Cuixart was a key figure in the postwar Catalan avant-garde. In 1948, together with Joan Brossa, Antoni Tàpies, Joan Ponç, Arnau Puig, and Joan-Josep Tharrats, he founded the group Dau al Set, which played a pivotal role in the renewal of Spanish art. His work evolved from an initial focus on magicism and surrealism toward material informism and, later, toward figurative art of great expressive intensity.

His work is represented in institutions such as the Reina Sofía Museum, MACBA, MNAC, the Girona Art Museum, IVAM, and the Cuixart Foundation, among others.