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Lot Essay
Following in the footsteps of his friends Pablo Picasso and Julio González, Gargallo's primary interest was with the physical material: "it dictates the appearance of surface, it stimulates or obstructs the possibilities of manipulation... Each material has its own exclusive properties. It only offers up the entirety of its means of expression to artists who are capable of celebrating all of its qualities" (the artist quoted in P. Courthion, op. cit., 1973, p. 105). Gargallo would in turn work with terracotta, alabaster, gold, silver, Belgian black limestone, pink marble, iron, copper (as in the present portrait), lead and bronze, concentrating on the expressive qualities of each. Through their unique surface appearance and the manner in which they occupy space, Gargallo's sculptures seem to speak, to cry out, to entice the viewer to touch.
Homme à la barbe ou Portrait de Monsieur Janés was executed in 1927, probably in Paris at the artist's studio at 107, Avenue du Maine. It was around this time that the sculptor began to use thicker, less fragile material and to explore new sculptural possibilities. He also met George Bernheim, the celebrated Parisian art dealer, who began to support his work, including the present sculpture in an exhibition later that year. In 1934, the year of Gargallo's death, Bernheim organized important exhibitions at the Brummer Gallery in New York and in Barcelona, with the present lot being exhibited at both shows.
Homme à la barbe ou Portrait de Monsieur Janés attests to the profound friendship between Gargallo and his friend Janés at the time when both lived in Barcelona. Gifted by the artist to the grandfather of the present owner, this work has remained in the same collection for more than 85 years.
(fig. 1) The artist, 1930-1931.
Homme à la barbe ou Portrait de Monsieur Janés was executed in 1927, probably in Paris at the artist's studio at 107, Avenue du Maine. It was around this time that the sculptor began to use thicker, less fragile material and to explore new sculptural possibilities. He also met George Bernheim, the celebrated Parisian art dealer, who began to support his work, including the present sculpture in an exhibition later that year. In 1934, the year of Gargallo's death, Bernheim organized important exhibitions at the Brummer Gallery in New York and in Barcelona, with the present lot being exhibited at both shows.
Homme à la barbe ou Portrait de Monsieur Janés attests to the profound friendship between Gargallo and his friend Janés at the time when both lived in Barcelona. Gifted by the artist to the grandfather of the present owner, this work has remained in the same collection for more than 85 years.
(fig. 1) The artist, 1930-1931.