Exhibitions
The Abelló Museum revives the Dalmau Galleries: a journey to the Catalan avant-garde
An exhibition curated by Joan Maria Minguet reconstructs the debate between tradition and modernity in Barcelona in the first third of the 20th century.
The Abelló Museum in Mollet del Vallès is offering a unique immersion in the history of Catalan art these months with Reconstructing the Dalmau Galleries (1908-1930) , an exhibition that can be visited until October 11. Curated by Joan Maria Minguet, the show is not limited to displaying works: it proposes an authentic reconstruction of one of the most influential spaces of artistic modernity in Barcelona.
Between 1900 and 1930, the city saw the consolidation of three key epicentres of artistic activity: the Sala Parés, the Galeries Laietanes (a must-see is Antoni Tàpies. The perpetual movement of the wall at the Museu Tàpies) and, especially, the Galeries Dalmau. The latter, active between 1908 and 1939, became a focus for the dissemination of new trends, with more than 160 exhibitions and more than 2,000 works presented. Now, the Museu Abelló recovers this legacy with a proposal that combines documentary rigour and evocative intent.
Joan Brull Vinyoles, Portrait of a girl, Abelló Museum.
The exhibition brings together nearly a hundred works —original or reproduced in those cases where a loan could not be obtained— with the aim of showing the tension between tradition and modernity that defined the Catalan art scene of the time. Beyond the simple accumulation of pieces, the tour emphasizes aspects that are often little studied: the exhibition settings, the diversity of catalogs and the role of artists who have been left out of the canonical story.
The initiative has been possible thanks to the documentary collection of Joan Abelló, painter and collector, who donated not only his collection, but also the archive and his own house, making the current museum a reality. This material allows us to reconstruct in detail the activity of the galleries and understand their impact on the cultural context of the time.
The central figure in this story is Josep Dalmau Rafel, a visionary gallery owner who promoted a key space first on Carrer Portaferrissa and later on Passeig de Gràcia. Dalmau opted for a diverse program that included everything from ancient and exotic art to the most innovative forms of modern art: painting, sculpture, drawing, engraving, photography and even architectural projects. His gallery became an avant-garde platform that connected Catalan artists with international currents.
Exhibition of the painter Francis Picabia at the Galeries Dalmau.
Among the names present in the exhibition we find figures such as Lola Anglada, Xavier Nogués, Salvador Dalí, Miquel Villà, Pablo Gargallo or Lluís Mercadé, among many others. However, the exhibition also vindicates less recognized creators, thus broadening the view on a key period. The visitor to the Abelló Museum will make a symbolic entry into a time machine that allows to rediscover the atmosphere, the concerns and the visual universe that the Galeries Dalmau helped to define.
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