Joan Abelló

JOAN ABELLÓ PRAT (Mollet del Vallés, Barcelona, 1922 – Barcelona, 2008).
“Gothic Cathedral.”
Mixed media (marker and crayons) on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 42 x 34 cm; 62 x 54 cm (frame).

Joan Abelló i Prat was a prominent Catalan painter, printmaker, and collector, particularly renowned for his dedication to landscape painting. He began painting at a very young age and trained at the Baixas Academy and the Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona, later completing his apprenticeship under Pere Pruna and Carles Pellicer. The influence of Joaquim Mir was also decisive; Mir’s works created in Mollet profoundly shaped Abelló’s conception of landscape and, in particular, his sensitivity to color. His painting draws on a Post-Impressionist foundation that evolved toward Expressionist approaches, gradually becoming characterized by energetic brushwork, abundant paint, and, above all, an increasingly intense and personal use of color. He explored landscape, portraiture, and still life, though it was as a landscape painter that he achieved one of his most distinctive styles. His numerous travels—to London, Belgium, Paris, Africa, Morocco, Brazil, and other destinations—considerably broadened his repertoire of subjects, although he repeatedly returned to the landscapes of the Vallès and the Mediterranean. Abelló also played an important role as a collector and cultural promoter. He served as president of the Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona, was a member of the Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi, and received the Cross of Sant Jordi in 2002. In 1996, he donated his art collection to Mollet del Vallès; this bequest formed the core of the Abelló Museum, which opened in 1999. A second donation made in 2006 added more than 4,000 pieces and spaces linked to his personal life.