Rafael Atché

RAFAEL ATCHÉ I FERRÉ (Barcelona, 1854 - 1923).
"A Corpus of Blood.
Terracotta.
Unique piece.
Signed on the front right.
Measurements: 62 x 29 x 26 cm.
Two altar boys fight in front of a parish priest who tries to separate them. In this sculptural group, Rafael Atché showed a masterly technical and plastic mastery, which can be appreciated both in the instantaneous capture of that anecdotal moment of children's fight and in the extremely detailed rendering of the laced habits, the expressive gestures and the frowning faces.
A Catalan sculptor and the author of the famous sculpture that crowns the Christopher Columbus Monument in Barcelona, Rafael Atché produced numerous monumental works, although he also cultivated religious themes and funerary sculpture. He trained at the Escuela de La Llotja in Barcelona and then furthered his studies at the workshop of the brothers Agapit and Venanci Vallmitjana, from whom he inherited the naturalistic style that marked his work. After completing his training, around 1870 Atché opened his own workshop together with his fellow student Josep Carcassó, initially producing works on religious themes. Of particular note from this period are the images "Sant Agustí" and "Sant Feliu", both from 1872. Many of these works were commissioned by a Galician dealer established in Buenos Aires, who polychromed the works that Atché produced in Barcelona. Before the end of the decade the sculptor was already enjoying considerable recognition, thanks to works such as the bust portrait of King Alfonso XII now in the Royal Palace of Pedralbes (1877). Atché worked tirelessly, producing a large number of monumental works, both free-standing and integrated into the architecture, such as the sculptures "Sant Francesc d'Assís" and "Sant Sebastià", which he made for the façade of Barcelona Cathedral in 1890. He also decorated the clock and the busts of P. Canyelles and Carbonell for the façade of the Reial Acadèmica de Ciéncies de Barcelona, as well as the taps of the Monumental Cascade in the Parc de la Ciutadella, although the best remembered of his monuments is the sculpture of Columbus inaugurated in 1888 to coincide with the celebration of the Universal Exhibition. In the eighties he also began to make himself known through the National Exhibitions held in Madrid and Barcelona, participating in the editions of 1882, 1883, 1884, 1891, 1891, 1894, 1897 (third medal) and 1901 (second medal). Apart from his monumental work, one of the most interesting facets of Atché's production is that of funerary sculpture, with works of great lyricism and poetic sense in which a certain approximation to the modernism that was beginning to develop at that time is evident. This evolution is particularly evident in his later works, such as the pantheon of Jaume Pincernau i Pintó in the Montjuïc Cemetery (1918-19). Apart from this large-format production, his small projects in clay are particularly noteworthy, as they are the ones that best demonstrate his talent. They are quick, nervous pieces, full of movement and strength, which served as a preliminary model for his works. Atché's monumental works can currently be found in Barcelona and other places in Catalonia, as well as in the Museu Europeu d'Art Modern de Barcelona and the Museu del Modernisme Català.