Editorial
Eduard Carbonell, humanity as heritage
Remembering Eduard Carbonell Esteller is remembering a way of understanding culture as the engine of life. Director General of Heritage of the Generalitat, soul and driving force of the MNAC, and pioneer in putting the concept of cultural landscapes into circulation through his chair at the University of Girona, Carbonell was one of the great Catalan intellectuals of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
I met him at the beginning, when he was director of the MNAC and I was just starting my journey from the magazine. At first he might seem distant, but his deeper dimension soon emerged: a rigorous intellectual, an artist who painted and drew with strength, and above all an endearing person. With him I shared cultural articles in Bonart and collaborations with the Coromina Foundation and ZERN, and he was always there, active, demanding, but also capable of making things happen. In a cultural world often full of obstacles, Carbonell had the gift of facilitating, of pushing forward.
His specialization in medieval art was not only academic: he had a vital fascination for that world, for its spirituality and symbolism. This medievalism accompanied him until the end, as shown in the image of Joan Fontcuberta chosen to bid him farewell: Carbonell with a porrón in his hand, celebrating life in the midst of that universe that captivated him so much.
The farewell ceremony brought together institutions, friends and fellow travelers. But beyond the positions and recognitions, his footprint is above all human: that of someone who believed that culture should be shared, discussed and lived. Therefore, more than losing a wise man, we have lost a vital presence. And at the same time, we are left with the debt of continuing to make things happen, just as he taught us.
