The works of Antoni Fabrés at MNAC
He is one of the best Catalan artists from the late 19th century, even though he has not yet earned the recognition he deserves.
Antoni Fabrés i Costa (1854-1938) was extraordinarily successful, with major distinctions and commissions, but subsequent generations have gradually forgotten him as he has been eclipsed by names like Marià Fortuny. The National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) wants to do right by him with an exhibition displaying some of his best works, both paintings and sculptures, which the artist himself donated to the Board of Museums of Catalonia in 1926. At the tender age of 21, the artist, who at the time was a student at Barcelona’s Escola Llotja, managed to win a scholarship to go to Rome, the city which was the natural destination of prominent artists at the time. When he got there, one year after the death of Marià Fortuny, Fabrés devoted himself to drawing, painting and watercolour, three techniques which he mastered better than anyone else in his day. The relationship between the two artists has become clear, and indeed Fabrés’ oeuvre is described as a continuation of Fortuny’s in terms of its Orientalist subject matter. Nonetheless, as seen in the exhibition, Fabrés cannot be pigeonholed within a specific movement since in addition to painting subjects common to many artists in the late 19th century, he also created many pieces within realism and naturalism. Thus, the artist became a mouthpiece for the condemnation of social differences, while also becoming a skilled portraitist.
The exhibition at the National Art Museum of Catalonia can be visited from 31 May to 29 September, Tuesdays through Sundays.
Tickets to see the show cost €4. You can buy them on the MNAC website.