Josep Grau-Garriga

JOSEP GRAU-GARRIGA (Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, 1929 – Angers, France, 2011).
“De l’espai,” 1965.
Mixed media on paper.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 45 x 65 cm; 59 x 77 cm (frame).

In this work from the 1960s, Grau-Garriga organizes the composition around a large, dense, and expansive central circular form that appears to float above the paper like a rotating body. The title, “De l’espai,” resonates with this image of cosmic or astral appearance, where curved lines, overlapping patterns, and radial strokes suggest movement, energy, and depth. The work depicts a visual structure in tension, akin to an imaginary map or a suspended nucleus. The result is part of the Catalan Informalism of the 1960s, but also reflects a highly personal sensibility toward material, the mark, and the construction of space through layers.

Although Grau-Garriga is best known for his decisive role in the renewal of contemporary tapestry, his works on paper reveal the same concern for texture and the tension between the support, the mark, and the material.

Josep Grau-Garriga was a key figure at the Escola Catalana de Tapís in Sant Cugat and one of the great innovators of contemporary textile art. His work evolved toward experimental, material-focused approaches characterized by a strong sense of formal freedom. His work is represented in institutions such as the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the MACBA, the Museo Reina Sofía, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.