Josep Maria Subirachs
Encyclopedia
Josep Maria Subirachs i Sitjar (ʒuˈzɛb məˈɾi.ə suβiˈɾaks) (b. March 11, 1927 in Barcelona
), is a Catalan
sculptor and painter
of the late 20th century. His best known work is probably the Passion Facade of the basilica of the Sagrada Família
in Barcelona
. It has been controversial, as he did not make any concessions to the style of the architect who designed the building, Antoni Gaudí
.
Subirachs' sculptural typography in Barcelona is featured in Eye magazine
(No. 37, Vol. 10, Autumn 2000) along with the work of Joan Brossa
.
He has worked in projects around the world, in different styles: Mediterranean style, Expressionism
, Abstract art
, new figuration...
Main works:
The asteroid
134124 Subirachs
, discovered in 2005, was named in his honour.
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
), is a Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
sculptor and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
of the late 20th century. His best known work is probably the Passion Facade of the basilica of the Sagrada Família
Sagrada Familia
The ' , commonly known as the Sagrada Família, is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. It has been controversial, as he did not make any concessions to the style of the architect who designed the building, Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.Much of Gaudí's work was...
.
Subirachs' sculptural typography in Barcelona is featured in Eye magazine
Eye (magazine)
Eye Magazine, The International Review of Graphic Design is a quarterly print magazine on graphic design and visual culture.- History :...
(No. 37, Vol. 10, Autumn 2000) along with the work of Joan Brossa
Joan Brossa
Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo (Barcelona, Catalonia,(1919–1998) was a Catalan poet in the Catalan language, playwright, graphic designer and plastic artist. He was one of the founders of both the group and the publication known as Dau-al-Set (1948) and one of the...
.
Artistic works
From a young age he showed talent as an integral artist: painter, engraver, scenic designer, sculptor, lecturer, art critic... always with the vocation of the architect who he had liked to be.He has worked in projects around the world, in different styles: Mediterranean style, Expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
, Abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
, new figuration...
Main works:
- 1957: Forma 212. Sculpture in Jardins Mundet
- 1968: Monument to MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- 1969: Façades of the new building for Barcelona Town Hall
- 1983: Olimp. Monument to the Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, in the CIOInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
office, LausanneLausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
(SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) - 1984: Monument to Pau Casals, Vendrell
- Since 1987: Passion Façade of the Sagrada FamíliaSagrada FamiliaThe ' , commonly known as the Sagrada Família, is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí...
in BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... - 1988: Monument to Gaspar de PortolàGaspar de PortolàGaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
, San Francisco, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - 1989: Monument Unió d'Orient i Occident, SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
(South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
) - 1991: Monument to President Macià in the Plaça Catalunya, BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
Recognitions
- Member of the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant JordiReial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant JordiThe Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi is a Catalan art school located in Barcelona. The current president is the architect Jordi Bonet i Armengol....
, Barcelona - Corresponding Member of the Hispanic Society of America of New York
- Creu de Sant Jordi of the Generalitat de CatalunyaGeneralitat de CatalunyaThe Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia....
- Medal of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et LettresOrdre des Arts et des LettresThe Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
of France - Personnalité de l'Année 1987, Paris
- Member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid
- Medalla de Honor, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel, Hungria
The asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
134124 Subirachs
134124 Subirachs
134124 Subirachs is a main-belt asteroid discovered on January 2, 2005 by J. Manteca at Begues.- External links :*...
, discovered in 2005, was named in his honour.