Josep Maria Subirachs

JOSEP MARIA SUBIRACHS SITJAR (Barcelona, 1927-2014).
"Transit".
Sculptural relief in steel.
Made for the façade of the Autopistas building in Plaza Gala Placídia in Barcelona.
Measurements: 98 × 27 cm.

Vertical relief work in abstract style, characterized by a sequence of curved spiral shapes that refer to dynamism and continuous movement. These forms are inscribed on a textured background with geometric incisions in different directions, creating a strong contrast between the organic rhythm of the central motif and the geometry of the background. The design recalls Subirachs' distinctive sculptural language, marked by the synthesis between the symbolic and the structural, and can be interpreted as an allusion to the flow of transit or the passage of time.
This work is part of the decorative ensemble designed by Subirachs for the Autopistas company building in Gala Placídia square in Barcelona, within his prolific period linked to the integration of art in urban architecture. The piece embodies the artist's interests in symbolic abstraction and plastic integration in functional spaces.

Josep Maria Subirachs i Sitjar (Barcelona, 1927 - 2014) was one of the most outstanding Catalan sculptors of the 20th century, with an oeuvre that also encompasses painting, engraving and scenographic design. His artistic career evolved from an early material expressionism towards a personal, abstract and symbolic language, in which geometry, time, destiny and the duality between form and content become recurring themes. He has achieved international renown and is especially known for his sculptural intervention on the Passion Façade of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, created between 1987 and 2009, a monumental work that fuses sculpture, architecture and spiritual narrative in an innovative way.
Subirachs' work is represented in numerous prestigious museums and collections, such as the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), the Museu de Montserrat, the MoMA in New York, the Museum Beelden aan Zee in The Hague or the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Japan. Also, in the Poblenou district of Barcelona is the Subirachs Museum, dedicated entirely to his legacy.