VILADOMAT, Josep

Josep Viladomat i Massanas (Manlleu, Barcelona, March 23, 1899 - Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra, June 2, 1989) was a prominent Spanish sculptor, considered one of the key figures of 20th-century Catalan sculpture and a staunch representative of sculptural mediterraneism. Of humble origins, he moved with his family to Badalona in 1909. His early contacts with art came while working in workshops in Barcelona such as Eusebi Arnau's and, later, under the tutelage of Joan Borrell i Nicolau, who encouraged him and found patrons for him. He also attended night classes at the Municipal School of Arts and Crafts. In 1917, he was one of the founders of the artistic group Els Evolucionistes, alongside painters and sculptors such as Josep Granyer and Joan Rebull. This collective sought to distance itself from the excesses of modernism to embrace a refined realism, inspired by the Catalan baroque tradition, Greco-Roman plastics, and the profound influence of Aristide Maillol. After fighting on the Madrid front during the Spanish Civil War and briefly going into exile in France in 1939, he established his permanent residence in Andorra. During his time in the Pyrenees and his subsequent intermittent stays in Barcelona, he developed a prolific career dedicated to public monuments, portraiture, and religious imagery alike. He spent his final years fully settled in Andorra. In 1986, a monographic museum dedicated to his work was inaugurated in Escaldes-Engordany (its collection later integrated into the Escaldes-Engordany Art Center - CAEE). He passed away there in 1989 at the age of 90. His style was characterized by rigorous modeling, elegant lines, great naturalness, and a marked formal sobriety far removed from academic coldness. He mastered bronze, stone, and polychrome wood. Among his most emblematic creations are: Monument to the Republic (Tribute to Pi i Margall) (1934): One of his most celebrated political and monumental works in Barcelona; Saint Francis of Assisi (1927): Bronze sculpture located in the Monastery of Montserrat; Monument to Pau Casals (1940 / 1982): Initially modeled in Prades and later erected on the avenue of the same name in Barcelona; L'Avi del Barça (1972): Popular sculpture commissioned by Fútbol Club Barcelona; The Pietà (1954): Polychrome carved wood preserved in the Monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses (Girona).