28 - MARCEL MARTÍ (Alvear, Argentina, 1925 – Peratallada, Girona, 2010).

MARCEL MARTÍ (Alvear, Argentina, 1925 – Peratallada, Girona, 2010). Untitled, 1986. Patinated bronze, no. 7 of 9. Signed, dated, and numbered. Shows slight wear. Measurements: 34.5 x 13.5 x 14 cm. 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. This work belongs to Marcel Martí’s mature period, when his abstract language took on a distinctly organic character and his exploration focused on the relationship between volume, rhythm, and space. The composition rises vertically through a succession of curved forms that seem to unfold in a helical pattern, culminating in a more open and dynamic shape. The incisions running transversely across the volume introduce an ascending rhythm and reinforce the perception of the piece’s growth. These solutions are characteristic of Martí’s work during the 1980s, in which references to natural forms undergo an intense process of synthesis until they acquire an almost totemic presence. Marcel Martí was a leading figure in the postwar Catalan sculptural renewal. From the mid-1950s onward, he focused his work on sculpture, soon evolving toward abstraction. He received the Manolo Hugué Prize for sculpture in 1958 and the Julio González Prize in 1960, and created a significant body of monumental work. His work is represented in collections including the Museo de Arte Público in Madrid and the Fundació Vila Casas.