160 - JAUME QUERALT (Tarragona, 1949).

JAUME QUERALT (Tarragona, 1949). "Raquel". Mixed media and collage on paper. Signed and titled in the lower left corner. Dated in the lower right corner. Measurements: 68 x 50 cm; 90 x 71 cm (frame). In this work, Queralt displays his sensitivity towards the world of children, capturing not only the appearance of the girl, but also an atmosphere charged with introspection, sweetness and silence. The girl -the central axis of the composition- is portrayed from the front, with a simple pose but full of naturalness. She is dressed in a delicate pink dress, whose soft tones contrast with the texture of the dark background. Jaume Queralt began his artistic training at the Escuela-Taller de Arte de Tarragona, and in 1964 he entered the Massana in Barcelona to further his studies. In Barcelona he frequented the Círculo de Sant Lluc and, in 1969, he became friends with Joan Serra, from whom he received painting lessons. In 1973 he began his career as an artist, and four years later he made a trip to Paris. Queralt has shown his work both in Spain and abroad, and among his most recent exhibitions is the one organized in 2004 at the Shanghai Urban Exhibition Planning Hall. He has been awarded the Paestum Academy Prize (Italy, 1972), the Silver Plaque of the Mexlicaltzin Moctezuma Biennial (Mexico, 1972), the First Prize for Painting in Amposta (Tarragona, 1977), the Gimeno Medal of Tortosa (1982), the Durán Prize for Painting (1989), the First Prize for Abstract Painting at the Autumn Salon of Val D'Or in 1990 (France), the Prize of the General Council of Allier in Saint Victor (1991), and with the selection of his work for the Autumn Salon at the Grand Palais des Champs Elysées (Paris), among other awards. He is currently represented in the Museums of Contemporary Art of Madrid and Tarragona and in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, as well as in numerous private collections.