Albert Ràfols Casamada

ALBERT RÀFOLS CASAMADA (Barcelona, 1923 - 2009).
Untitled, 1978.
Pastel, waxes and charcoal on folded Guarro paper.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Provenance: Private collection.
Measures: 50.5 x 47 cm.
After a brief figurative period, the 1950s gave way to a more schematic and structured conception of reality, with a clearly abstractionist slant, which he would cultivate throughout the rest of his life. During the 1970s his work dematerialised, becoming more ethereal, atmospheric and more subdued in colour due to the impact and influence of American Expressionism, particularly Mark Rothko. Nevertheless, structural rigour will remain present in the geometric composition and in the Matissian window, seeking and achieving a balance between structure and its dissolution.

Painter and graphic artist, Ràfols Casamada trained in Barcelona and Paris. He has received many awards, such as the National Plastic Arts Award in 1980, the Creu de Sant Jordi in 1982 and the CEOE Arts Award in 1991. In 1985 he was also named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters of France. His work can be found in the most important museums around the world: the Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Guggenheim and MOMA in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles, the Picasso Museum in France, the Georges Pompidou in Paris and the British Museum and the Tate Gallery in London, among many others.