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Lot description
JOSEP VILADOMAT MASSANAS (Manlleu, Barcelona, 1899 - Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra, 1989). "L'avi del Barça". Bronze. Signed on the base. Marble base. Measurements: 24,5 x 9 x 7 cm; 6 x 11 x 10 cm (base). Bronze sculpture dedicated to the emblematic figure of "L'avi del Barça", identity symbol of Futbol Club Barcelona and representation of the historical fan of the club. Viladomat approaches the motif with his characteristic figurative language of firm and expressive modeling, combining naturalism and formal synthesis. The surface, tinged with a dark patina, accentuates the expressiveness of the face and gives the figure a notable presence despite its reduced format. Trained in Barcelona, where he worked as a stonemason and collaborated in the workshops of Eusebi Arnau, Rafael Atché and Joan Borrell, Viladomat was a founding member in 1917 of the group Els Evolucionistes, along with Rebull and Granyer. The group reacted against modernism in favor of a Mediterranean-rooted realism, inspired by the Catalan Baroque, Maillol and classical Greek sculpture. After winning first prize at the 1923 Barcelona Municipal Exhibition for his Maternity, he traveled to Italy and Paris, consolidating a career marked by success and recognition. Author of numerous public monuments -such as the one dedicated to Fortuny in Reus or La Puntaire in Montjuïc-, he developed a realistic style of Mediterranean imprint, with episodes of Donatellian influence and a marked attention to detail. His work is currently represented in the National Art Museum of Catalonia and in the Escaldes-Engordany Art Center, where an essential part of his sculptural legacy is preserved.