Josep Vidal i Vidal

JOSEP VIDAL I VIDAL (Sitges, Barcelona, 1876 - 1950).
"Interior of the Cau Ferrat", 1923.
Oil on canvas.
Work done 10 years before the Cau Ferrat opened to the public, when it was still Santiago Rusiñol's house.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner.
With label on the back: 1923, Exposició d'Art de Barcelona, n1 cat. 483 Bis.
Provenance: according to the back label the work belonged to the Marquis of Robert (Robert Surís i Surís, former owner of the Palau Robert in Barcelona).
Measurements: 75 x 96 cm; 94 x 114 cm (frame).

Founded in 1893 by the artist Santiago Rusiñol (1861-1931) as his house-workshop, the Cau Ferrat Museum was opened to the public in 1933, preserving the artistic spirit infused by its creator. The museum houses a rich art collection, which includes both antique pieces (painting, wrought iron, ceramics, glass, archaeology and furniture) collected by Rusiñol himself, as well as an outstanding selection of modern art. Its holdings include works by artists of the stature of Rusiñol, Ramon Casas, Picasso, R. Pichot, Mas i Fontdevila, Zuloaga, Regoyos, Degouwe de Nucques, Enric Clarasó, Manolo Hugué and Pablo Gargallo, among others. The activities that Rusiñol organized with the participation of other artists, musicians and writers of the time, turned the Cau Ferrat into the epicenter and the "Temple of Modernism".

Painter and set designer, Josep Vidal i Vidal was a disciple of Soler i Rovirosa and Félix Urgellès. He was trained at the School of La Llotja, obtaining a scholarship in 1901. In the early years of his career he became known through the official exhibitions held in Catalonia, and in 1914 he left Spain to settle in Santiago de Cuba. He exhibited frequently in Havana, in addition to carrying out various projects. In 1920 he returned to Barcelona, and later made a trip to New York, where he also did some decorative paintings. In 1924 he was appointed assistant professor at La Llotja, and later moved to the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts, where he became a professor in 1942 and director between 1942 and 1945. His artistic career was recognized with the Alfonso X Cross. He is currently mainly represented in private collections.