Joaquín Torrents Lladó

JOAQUÍN TORRENTS LLADÓ (Badalona, 1946 – Miramar, Mallorca, 1993).
Untitled, 1986.
Watercolor on paper.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 26 x 17 cm; 49 x 40 cm (frame).

Joaquín Torrents studied drawing from 1956 to 1961 at the Valls Academy in Barcelona. In 1962, he enrolled at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts, and in 1967 he earned a degree in drawing. Thanks to his technical mastery, he won every award offered by the school, which earned him a scholarship from the Amigo-Cuyas Foundation. In 1968, he settled in Mallorca and devoted himself entirely to set design, an activity that combined his two passions: painting and theater. The following year, he began producing landscapes of Mallorca, as well as portraits and self-portraits. That same year, he founded Artestudio in Palma, which would become the city’s first modern painting academy. In 1971, he held his first solo exhibition at the Picarol Gallery in Palma de Mallorca. In 1974, he spent some time in Madrid and held his first national solo exhibition at the Old Home Gallery in the capital; its success led to numerous commissions not only in Spain but also in Paris and London. In 1976, Torrents traveled throughout the United States, and in 1977 he settled temporarily in Palm Beach, where he painted portraits of several members of the Kennedy family. That same year, during a visit to Palma, he founded the Escuela Libre del Mediterráneo, where he taught. In 1978, he painted a portrait of Princess Caroline of Monaco in Paris, and the following year he held his first solo exhibition in the principality. In 1988, he was named World Personality of the Year in Paris, and in 1990, his international recognition was cemented by his participation in the ArtExpo in Los Angeles. That same year, he exhibited for the first time in Japan, where he showcased a collection of his Mallorcan landscapes. Between 1992 and 1993, he visited and exhibited three times in Japan, in addition to visiting London and Venice. His work is featured at the Torrents Lladó House-Museum in Palma de Mallorca and at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, among other institutions.