JOAN PIQUÉ I CARBÓ (Barcelona, 1877- Santa Coloma... Lot 49

JOAN PIQUÉ I CARBÓ (Barcelona, 1877- Santa Coloma de Farners, 1928). "Bathers". Sculpture in polychrome terracotta. Provenance: family of the artist. Measurements: 21,5 x 48 x 16 cm. According to Juan C. Bejarano in his study "Joan Piqué i Carbó (1877-1928), un professional de l'escultura", "trained in the school of La Lonja in Barcelona, Joan Piqué i Carbó practised a style ascribed to realist postulates and placed it at the service of the dominant taste of the time. It is for this reason that he mainly cultivated monumental sculpture and portraiture, thanks to the protection of influential people of the time, from the ecclesiastical world, the aristocracy and politics". He continues: "Joan Piqué represents today the paradigm of Spanish academicist sculpture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that is, the archetypal sculptor of exquisite training, skilful and virtuoso in his technique, at the service of the dominant taste of the time, but nevertheless, not very original. The existence of so many sculptors like him, with the same conservative artistic profile, meant that, despite his quality, his name remained obscure for years and years. In these lines we shall attempt to trace his work, which is still fairly unknown but quite significant for the period in which he lived. From the moment his vocation awoke, Piqué was quite clear about what he wanted to do, a "well-made" work according to the parameters of the taste of the time, which also justifies the few perceptible changes in the development of his art".