Pere Pruna

PERE PRUNA OCERANS (Barcelona, 1904–1977).
"Portrait of a Woman," 1976.
Lithograph on paper, P.A. edition.
Signed on the plate and by hand, titled, dated, and inscribed.
While the commercial edition consisted of a run of 200 numbered copies, this piece is one of the exclusive proofs reserved for the artist himself. This image was chosen to illustrate the official poster for the silver anniversary (25th edition) of the Fira del Llibre d'Ocasió Antic i Modern in Barcelona that same year.
Measurements: 93 x 66.5 cm.
Pere Pruna trained in Barcelona and then traveled to Paris in 1921, where he held a successful solo exhibition at the Galerie Percier; he was also a co-founder of the magazine “Philosophie” in 1924 alongside Cocteau, Max Jacob, and others. In 1925, he made his debut as a set and costume designer for Diaghilev, and in 1928, he won second prize at the Carnegie Institute exhibition in Pittsburgh. Later, upon his return to Barcelona, he won other awards, such as the prize in the “Montserrat as Seen by Catalan Artists” competition and the Nonell Prize. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Pruna continued to exhibit internationally, notably in a show organized in London in 1937. In 1965, he won the City of Barcelona Prize, and three years later he was named a member of the Far de Sant Cristòfor Academy. Pere Pruna’s work is currently on display at the Montserrat Museum—where a space is named after him—the MACBA in Barcelona, and the Maricel Museum in Sitges, among others.