138 - JOSEP MUNNÉ GRAUPERA (Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Barcelona, 1933).

JOSEP MUNNÉ GRAUPERA (Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Barcelona, 1933). “Children on the Beach,” 1981. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated in the lower left corner. Measurements: 35 x 27 cm; 48 x 56.5 cm (frame). Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A painter and watercolorist, Josep Munné focused his work primarily on landscapes, showing a clear preference for the beaches of Catalonia and Mallorca, emphasizing their light and atmosphere and always painting from life. He also painted still lifes and the human figure, often placing it within coastal landscapes. He also showed a special interest in the female form and in women as mothers. Munné trained as a student of Jordi Arenas and developed an Impressionist style that reveals the influences of Sorolla, Casas, Mir, and Nonell. Throughout his career, he held various exhibitions of his work, among which the retrospective held in 1993 in Mataró (Barcelona) is particularly noteworthy.