BAQUÉS, Josep

Josep Baqués i Hargreaves (Montmeló, Barcelona, 1931 – Barcelona, 2021) was a prominent Catalan painter, illustrator, graphic designer, and sculptor, considered a leading figure in magical lyricism and Surrealism in the second half of the 20th century. Following the Spanish Civil War, he moved to Barcelona, starting at age fifteen as an apprentice at a textile printing firm and later working as a draftsman and advertising artist. In 1957 he established his first professional studio in Barcelona and in 1961 co-founded Grafistes FAD (now ADG-FAD), becoming a pivotal figure in Spanish graphic design, earning honors such as the Silver Delta Award (1972) and the Laus Award (1974), alongside two nominations for the National Design Award. In 1968 he held his first solo painting exhibition in Barcelona, launching an intense artistic career defined by a highly personal, poetic, and dreamlike Surrealism. In parallel, he produced major lithographic editions for Sweden and Germany, with the core of his creative vision compiled in the monograph Baqués… Lirisme màgic. Over his extensive career, his artwork was exhibited across Spain, the United States, France, Germany, Sweden, Venezuela, Andorra, Portugal, India, Canada, and Japan, preserved today in major art foundations and private collections worldwide.