Mercè Llimona

MERCÈ LLIMONA (Barcelona, 1914 - ib., 1997).
"Village characters".
Watercolor drawing on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 32 x 24 cm; 47 x 39,5 cm (frame).

Mercè Llimona i Raymat was a Catalan illustrator specialized in children's literature. At the age of eighteen she joined the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, while she worked as a drawing teacher at the Mutua Escolar Blanquerna; soon she illustrated with pen drawings many stories collected by Valeri Serra i Bolda in the Rondalles populars, published by Políglota. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he left for Paris, where he worked for the "Bonne Presse". From there she moved to San Sebastian, where she published one of her first works: La princesa risita (1938) and collaborated in the children's magazines: Mis Chicas and Flechas y pelayos. In 1939 she returned to Barcelona. He began his relationship with the publishing houses Juventud and Hymsa; he created and illustrated more than fifty books for children, among which we highlight: Tic-Tac, Chupete, El muñeco de papel (awarded by the Germán Sánchez Ruiperez Foundation as one of the 100 best children's books of the 20th century) , Mi Angel de la Guarda, Ha nascut un infant, Del temps de l'àvia, Jocs i cançons, the Bibí series, and the adaptations of Perrault and Andersen's stories: Cinderella, Pulgarcito, el soldadito de plomo, and many others. She made originals for stamping and Christmas carols, with expressive and tender drawings that have great strength thanks to the care of their environment. She was president of the Artistic Circle of Sant Lluc (1964-1966) and of the Professional Association of Illustrators (API). In 1940 she illustrated her first book, Snow White, published by Editorial Juventud, but her first great success was Tic-Tac (1942). In short, she has published more than 50 books, has been an honorary member of the Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi and a teacher at the Mutua Escolar Blanquerna. In 1986 she received the Sant Jordi Cross from the Generalitat de Catalunya. In the international sphere of the 80's she collaborated for the Random House publishing house in New York and with the French publishing house Les DeuxCoqs D'Or in Paris. He also decorated children's rooms in private homes and painted murals in the Corachán Clinic in Barcelona. Years later, the publishing house Destino published the book Peter Pan and two books in prose: No m'oblidis, Diari d'una col-legiada and a compilation of her memoirs: No m'oblidis, Diari d'una col-legiala. Mercè Llimona's personal collection is kept at the Biblioteca de Catalunya.