Antoni Clavé

ANTONI CLAVÉ (Barcelona, 1913 – Saint-Tropez, 2005).
“La gloire des rois III,” 1976.
Carborundum engraving, embossing, and collage on paper; P.A. copy from a standard edition of 35 copies.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Measurements: 49 x 35 cm (paper); 80 x 65 x 3 cm (frame).

Created in 1976 as part of *La Gloire des Rois*, the bibliophile’s book by Saint-John Perse illustrated by Clavé, this work belongs to a particularly significant phase of his graphic exploration. Between 1974 and 1976, the artist developed a combination of carborundum, embossing, and collage for this project, which expanded the material possibilities of printmaking and found immediate continuation in his well-known works on folded or crumpled papers and surfaces.

In *La gloire des rois III*, the intense black achieved through carborundum is a hallmark of the work, contrasting with the large, virtually bare areas of the paper. The embossing and the layering of fragments introduce texture and transform the sheet into an almost object-like surface. MACBA holds another copy of this same composition, registered under the original title *La gloire des rois III*, also dated 1976 and cataloged as a carborundum print, embossing, and collage on paper.

Antoni Clavé was one of the leading figures in postwar Spanish art and gave printmaking a central place in his body of work, distinguishing himself through his experimentation with carborundum, embossing, and mixed media. In 1984, the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale was dedicated to his career, while the Reina Sofía Museum holds more than 180 of his prints and, in 1994, dedicated an exhibition to him focusing on fifty years of his printmaking. His work is also part of the MACBA collection.