Josep Maria Subirachs

JOSEP MARIA SUBIRACHS (Barcelona, 1927–2014).
“Moira,” 1982. 2019 edition.
Polyester resin with electrolytic bronze plating. Copy 071/999.
Signed and numbered on the piece.
Edition produced by Enciclopèdia Catalana based on the model preserved by Espai Subirachs.
Accompanied by a certificate issued by Espai Subirachs and Enciclopèdia Grup Editorial (Barcelona, March 2019).
Comes with the original wooden box and the book *Subirachs*, featuring texts by Francesc Fontbona, Daniel Giralt-Miracle, and Judit Subirachs-Burgaya.
In good condition.
Measurements: 28 x 23 x 7.8 cm.

*Moira* belongs to the symbolic and mythological universe that occupies a central place in Subirachs’s mature work. The work draws inspiration from the Moirai, the goddesses of fate in Greek mythology, and conveys this idea through one of the sculptor’s most characteristic techniques: the contrast between positive and negative, presence and absence.

The female face is modeled in negative relief, like an imprint or cavity, while a hand emerges in positive relief and is integrated into the head itself. This sculptural contrast encapsulates the work’s meaning: the Moira as a figure who determines human destiny—symbolized by the hand—while the face takes on an almost immaterial and fleeting quality. The pronounced exterior texture, in turn, is a hallmark of the relief’s smoother surface, reinforcing the formal dualities that characterize much of Subirachs’ artistic language.

Josep Maria Subirachs was one of the leading figures in Catalan sculpture during the second half of the 20th century. His career evolved from an early figurative style rooted in the Noucentista movement toward Expressionism, Abstraction, and, finally, a neo-figurative style with strong symbolic content. In 1982, the year “Moira” was created, he received the Creu de Sant Jordi from the Generalitat de Catalunya and was elected a member of the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi. Among his best-known works is the sculptural program on the Passion Facade of the Sagrada Família. His work is represented in institutions such as The Hispanic Society of America Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp, among others.