Enric Monjo

ENRIC MONJO GARRIGA (Vilassar de Mar, 1896 – Barcelona, 1976)
“Inspiration and Immortality,” 1962.
Bronze with a veined marble base.
Signed and dated. With foundry stamp.
Measurements: 45 x 40 x 18 cm.
Exhibitions: MEAM “A Century of Catalan Sculpture,” 2013. Reproduced in the catalog, p. 274.

Monjo began his studies at the Llotja in Barcelona, later continuing his training in the studios of Eusebi Arnau and Josep Llimona. It was the latter who introduced him to the Noucentisme movement. He studied anatomy at the School of Medicine to gain a deep understanding of the human body and apply it to his work. In 1926, he won first prize in the National Sculpture Competition for Public Institutions and Fine Arts, the first of a long list of awards he would receive throughout his career. Beginning in the 1950s, he began working internationally, particularly in the United States, but also in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan. Monjo was also dedicated to teaching; in 1940, he was appointed professor of Artistic Anatomy at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts, and from 1943 to 1961, he held the chair of Artistic Anatomy at the Llotja. In 1971, the Enric Monjo Museum was established in his hometown of Vilassar de Mar, where the largest collection of the artist’s work is housed. In addition, his work can currently be seen at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Tarrasa, the monasteries of Montserrat and Sant Cugat del Vallès, the Church of Sant Feliu in Sabadell, the Pau Casals Museum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Council of Europe building in Strasbourg, and the cathedral in Washington, D.C.