98 - AGUSTÍ PUIG PINYOL (Sabadell, Barcelona, 1957).

AGUSTÍ PUIG PINYOL (Sabadell, Barcelona, 1957). “Fruit Bowl with Pears,” 1998. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated in the lower right corner and on the back. Measurements: 97 x 130 cm. The canvas now up for auction is fully in keeping with Agustí Puig’s artistic language, characterized by a figurative style with expressionist roots in which gesture and texture play a fundamental role. His painting occupies a borderland between figuration and abstraction, with a spontaneous and energetic execution that makes the very act of painting an essential part of the work. Agustí Puig studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Sabadell, and later at the Massana School in Barcelona. His painting, in constant evolution, was initially grounded in the contemplation of nature and landscape, abstracting elements such as light and color. Puig also works in poster art, illustration, graphic design, and sculpture, always with a distinctive personal style. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the Second Biennial of Young Art (Barcelona, 1985) and the Hannover International Fair (1990). He received an honorable mention in the Joan Miró Drawing Prize (Barcelona, 1985) and won an award at the Young Artists’ Exhibition (Madrid, 1987). Notable among his solo exhibitions are those held at the René Métras galleries in Barcelona (1987, 1989, and 1991), the Egam Gallery in Madrid (1988), the Luis Adelantado Gallery in Valencia (1989), the SIC Gallery in Vigo (1990), the Fernando Latorre Gallery in Zaragoza (1993), and the Van Art Gallery in Madrid (1997). He has also held solo exhibitions at venues abroad, such as the Centre les Hautes de Belleville in Paris (1988), the Esse Gallery in Cologne (1990), the Jadite in New York (1992), the Futaba in Tokyo (1992), Messum’s in London (2002–2005), and DeNovo in Chicago (2009). Beginning in the late 1990s, Puig has moved away from his earlier subject matter to focus on elements of everyday life—such as chairs, shoes, and hats—which he recreates with apparent spontaneity in an essentialized vision, full of subtlety, in which the economy of means endows the images with a certain magical and symbolic quality. Currently, Agustí Puig has works on permanent display at the Giart Gallery in Girona, Set Espai d’Art in Javea, and Messum’s London. He is also represented at the Vila Casas Foundation in Barcelona.