Miquel Blay

MIQUEL BLAY FÁBREGAS (Olot, Girona, 1866 – Madrid, 1936).
“Margheritina,” c. 1892.
Marble.
Signed.
Measurements: 44 x 42 x 29 cm.
Exhibitions: MEAM “A Century of Catalan Sculpture,” 2013. Reproduced in the catalog, p. 63.

The work stands out for the technical virtuosity with which Blay approached the plasticity of the marble, creating a subtle hallmark of contrast between the soft, plump skin of the girl’s face and the freer, almost painterly treatment—rich in folds—of the dress that frames her low-cut chest. It is believed that for this bust, the artist used as his model the same girl who posed for his famous sculptural group *The First Cold Snaps* (*Els primers freds*, 1892).
The work enjoyed remarkable success in its day, winning a diploma of merit at the Second General Exhibition of Fine Arts in Barcelona and a second medal at the Bilbao Fine Arts Exhibition, both in 1894. Copies and models of this iconic piece can be found in prominent collections and museums such as the Museu de la Garrotxa (Olot), the Museo Sorolla (Madrid), and the Museu del Modernisme (Barcelona).

The sculptor Miquel Blay trained in Olot, in the Christian Art workshops of Berga i Boix and with the painter Joaquín Vayreda, carving religious images. In 1888, he traveled to Rome, and a year later, he moved to Paris on a scholarship from the Provincial Council of Girona. In the French capital, he attended the Académie Julian, the École des Beaux-Arts, and the studio of Henri Michel Antoine Chapu. After three years in Paris, he spent a year and a half in Rome before returning to Olot in 1894. One of his most famous works, “Primeros fríos,” was created in Rome and earned Blay first prize at the 1892 National Fine Arts Exhibition in Madrid. This work also won a gold medal in Barcelona in 1894, and its modernist style influenced, in fact, an entire generation of Catalan sculptors. Back in Paris, he won a medal of honor at the Universal Exposition held there in 1900, and was named a Knight of the French Legion of Honor the following year. In 1906, Blay returned to Spain and settled in Madrid, becoming a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1909 and, the following year, a professor at the Madrid School of Fine Arts. He continued to exhibit his work at the National Fine Arts Exhibitions, receiving a medal of honor in 1908 for “Eclosión” (Prado). Between 1925 and 1930, he served as director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. Miquel Blay’s work is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the MACBA in Barcelona, the La Garrotxa Regional Museum, the Reina Sofía National Art Museum, and others.