Joan Busquets i Jané

JOAN BUSQUETS I JANÉ (Barcelona, 1874–1949).
Modernist armchair.
Measurements: 105.5 x 83 x 44 cm

A spacious Modernist armchair designed by Joan Busquets, adorned with large pyrographed sunflowers on the backrest. Its stylized and gently curved lines reflect the influence of Central European and English Modernism, as does the interplay of parallel bars on the backrest, which evokes the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Joan Busquets i Jané established himself as one of the great cabinetmakers and interior designers of Modernism in Barcelona. This entryway bench design was part of one of his most successful and widely adopted styles, originally conceived to coordinate with umbrella stands and planters to adorn the entryways of the Catalan upper class. The technique of polychrome pyrography featuring botanical motifs—highly characteristic of Casa Busquets’ production between 1898 and 1900—adds a new pictorial dimension to the piece.