172 - RAFAEL DURANCAMPS (1891 – Barcelona, 1979)

RAFAEL DURANCAMPS (1891 – Barcelona, 1979) Self-Portrait. Pencil and watercolor on paper. Signed, titled, and dated in the lower right corner. Measurements: 16.5 x 11 cm; 30.5 x 25 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. Rafael Durancamps’s first exhibition took place in Barcelona in 1917 at the Galerías Layetanas. In 1921, he traveled to Paris. Upon his return to Sabadell, he participated in various competitions, winning major awards such as the Masriera Medal, and began selling his work to leading collectors. This was a period marked by an affinity for Impressionism, but also by the influence of Zurbarán, El Greco, and Venetian Colorism. In 1926, he returned to Paris and held exhibitions at the Zak Gallery, where he achieved considerable success, also showing his work at “La Renaissance.” In 1929, he decorated eight panels at the Town Hall of the Pueblo Español and exhibited at the Sala Parés, where he would return on subsequent occasions. Although his early period was influenced by Mir, he soon evolved toward a distinctive style, emphasizing constructive line and a unique color palette of understated beauty. His still lifes and interiors, rendered with a profusion of line and transparency, are a marvel of serenity and elegance. His landscapes are deeply evocative. Here he presents his own self-portrait, created—according to the inscription below—when he was thirty years old. His works are represented in museums in Barcelona, Madrid, and other cities around the world.