Josep Maria Subirachs

JOSEP MARIA SUBIRACHS SITJAR (Barcelona, 1927–2014).
"Piety," 1951.
Patinated terracotta.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 37 x 40 x 27 cm.
Work verified by Espai Subirachs.

In the early 1950s, Subirachs was still under the influence of the human figure and the Catalan Noucentista movement, rapidly evolving toward a heart-wrenching, figurative expressionism before making the transition to abstraction by the end of the decade. The sharp facets and rigid folds foreshadow the schematic and monumental style that would later define his masterpiece, the Passion Facade of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. The dejected posture of the recumbent body and the Virgin’s restrained piety convey a profound sense of drama through the dynamism of the forms and the restraint of the line.
Trained in both Barcelona and Paris, Subirachs has exhibited his work around the world and has received prestigious awards such as the Sculpture Prize at the Salon du Jazz, the San Jorge Grand Prize from the Barcelona Provincial Council, and the “Julio González” Prize from the Barcelona Chamber of Art. In 1988, he was awarded the Medal of Merit in Fine Arts. In 1980, he was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Saint George. His work is represented at the Reina Sofía Center, the Museums of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, Ibiza, Seville, and New York, the Fine Arts Museums of Bilbao, Birmingham, the Vatican, Taipei, and Nebraska; the Open-Air Museum on the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid; the Musée du Petit Palais in Geneva; and the Millesgärden in Stockholm, among others.