271 - JOSEP MARIA SUBIRACHS SITJAR (Barcelona, 1927–2014).

JOSEP MARIA SUBIRACHS SITJAR (Barcelona, 1927–2014). "Moira." Bronze-plated resin Signed and numbered, ed. 440/999. Dimensions: 28 × 23 × 7.8 cm. Includes a certificate signed by the Espai Subirachs and the book, in Catalan, *Subirachs*, with texts by Judit Subirachs-Burgaya, Francesc Fontbona, and Daniel Giralt-Miracle. Presented in a wooden display case. Josep Maria Subirachs i Sitjar was one of the most prominent Catalan artists of the 20th century. A sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker, he trained in a gilder’s workshop, apprenticed under Enric Monjo, and received decisive guidance from Enric Casanovas. From a very young age, he exhibited in Barcelona and Girona, and soon embarked on an international career that included stays in Paris and Belgium and participation in biennials and exhibitions across Europe and the Americas. His work evolved from his early Noucentisme style toward an expressionist style and, later, toward abstraction. He was a pioneer in bringing abstract sculpture into Barcelona’s public spaces, with works such as *Forma 212* and *Evocación marinera*. Throughout his career, he created numerous monuments and architectural installations in Catalonia, Spain, and abroad, often integrating sculpture and architecture within a single project. Among his best-known public works are monuments dedicated to Monturiol, Pompeu Fabra, Ramon Llull, Pau Casals, Salvador Espriu, and Francesc Macià. However, the project that brought him the most recognition—and also the most controversy—was the sculptural ensemble on the Passion Facade of the Sagrada Família, on which he worked from 1987 to 2005. Subirachs used a wide variety of materials—bronze, iron, stone, wood, marble, glass, and aluminum, among others—and also excelled in disciplines such as etching, lithography, and screen printing. His work, sober and intellectual, is characterized by technical rigor, the use of formal tensions, hallmarks of contrast, irony, and a strong symbolic charge. With a highly personal style and few visible influences, he established a new way of understanding sculpture in Catalonia and played a decisive role in bringing the avant-garde to the streets. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards, including the Creu de Sant Jordi, the Gold Medal from the Ministry of Culture, and the Gold Medal for Artistic Merit from Barcelona. He was also a member of prominent fine arts academies and the subject of various retrospective exhibitions.