AGAPIT VALLMITJANA I ABARCA (Barcelona, 1850 - 1915).

AGAPIT VALLMITJANA I ABARCA (Barcelona, 1850 - 1915). "Lion Hunter or The African", ha. 1882-1883. Terracotta. Signed. Size: 63 x 45 x 40 cm. Smaller version of the work "The Lion Hunter" made by Agapit Vallmitjana in 1883, currently located in the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona. Other examples of terracotta are kept in collections such as the National Art Museum of Catalonia. On 21 September 1883, Agapit Vallmitjana's sculpture "The Lion Hunter" (also known as "The African") was installed in the Parc de la Ciutadella. Made of marble and commissioned by the City Council, in 1884 the sculpture won a medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid. Vallmitjana specialised in making sculptures representing animals, such as the lions on the main staircase of the Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia and those on the monument to Columbus in Barcelona. The son of the sculptor Venanci Vallmitjana i Barbany, who was also a disciple of his at the Llotja School in Barcelona, Agapit Vallmitjana began his activity in 1883 when he opened a workshop with his father, where he also exhibited his works. He later combined his artistic activity with teaching, which he did from 1902 at La Llotja. He was known above all for his work in the animalistic genre, having produced numerous sculptural groups featuring wild animals, especially lions. He made a name for himself at the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, being awarded third and second class medals in the 1884 and 1908 editions. He is currently represented in the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid, the Diocesan Museum of Barcelona and the Palace of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and has public monuments in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia.