Manolo Hugué

MANOLO HUGUÉ (Barcelona, 1872 - Caldas de Montbui, Barcelona, 1945).
"Saint Francis of Assisi".
Patinated bronze; Belgian black marble pedestal.
Signed.
Presents foundry stamp: "Fundición Bechini".
Measurements: 34,5 x 13 x 9 cm (sculpture) / 3 x 11 x 10,5 cm (pedestal).

Trained at the Escuela de la Lonja in Barcelona, Manolo Hugué actively participated in the gatherings of "Els Quatre Gats", where he cultivated friendships with figures such as Picasso, Rusiñol, Mir and Nonell. In 1900 he moved to Paris, where he lived for a decade and where he resumed his relationship with Picasso, while he became friends with leading theorists of the avant-garde such as Apollinaire, Modigliani, Braque and Derain. During this period he worked on the design of jewelry and small sculptures, influenced by the work of his friend, the sculptor and goldsmith Paco Durrio.

In 1892 he collaborated with Torcuato Tasso in decorative works for the celebrations of the centenary of the Discovery of America. Between 1910 and 1917, dedicated exclusively to sculpture, he settled in Céret, where he gathered a heterogeneous group of artists among whom Juan Gris, Joaquín Sunyer and, again, Picasso stood out. During these years he presented exhibitions in Barcelona, Paris and New York. In 1932 he was appointed member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Jorge in Barcelona.

Hugué's work is characterized by his intimate relationship with nature, integrating the human figure into the landscape. This sensitivity, typical of noucentista classicism, is enriched by his particular artistic vision, which transcends the limits of his origin. He usually depicted peasants, although he also depicted bullfighters and dancers, always with a high level of detail and meticulous attention to textures, a legacy of his training as a goldsmith.

His production combines Mediterranean tradition, Greek classicism and archaism, as well as influences from Egyptian and Mesopotamian art, with the European avant-garde that he knew first hand, including Matisse's fauvism and cubism. His works are kept in important institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, the National Art Museum of Catalonia and the Reina Sofia National Museum and Art Center, among others.