Antoni Vila Casas and Roser Capdevila, gold medals from the Generalitat de Catalunya

This evening, the head of the Executive presented the Gold Medal of the Generalitat to the illustrator and to the patron and entrepreneur, in a ceremony in Mollet del Vallès that opened the institutional events of the Day

The president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, this evening presented the Gold Medal of the Generalitat to the illustrator Roser Capdevila and the patron and businessman Antoni Vila Casas, of whom he emphasized that "they are an example of how to build the nation" and highlighted "its ability to offer us elements that empower citizens and bring us together as a society, that allow us to reach everywhere, reach everyone and help understand the entire country". "A country that wants to be free can never stop building a nation" , he replied.

The head of the Executive highlighted "the vitality, energy and creativity" of Roser Capdevila, who has created "a collective imaginary in the Catalan language, which we must claim and revitalize in order to continue advancing social use of Catalan" . D'Antoni Vila Casas has emphasized that "the world of contemporary Catalan art cannot be understood without his work" . And he affirmed that "every culture that wants to be needs the vision, commitment and sensitivity of Antoni Vila i Casas" .

Pere Aragonès expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Government of Catalonia to the two awardees and noted that "they are and will be a source of inspiration for present and future generations, for the shared values and commitments, which represent what we are today Catalonia" .

The Gold Medal, the highest honorary distinction awarded by the Generalitat of Catalonia, was created in 1978 to distinguish those people who have rendered eminent and extraordinary services to Catalonia in the political, social, economic, cultural or scientific fields.

With the presentation of the Gold Medal, which took place this evening at the Parc dels Colors in Mollet del Vallès, the institutional events on the occasion of the National Day of Catalonia have opened. The ceremony began with the raising of the flag by the formation of the honor guard of the Police Corps.

The awardees

The Government agreed last July 26 to award the Medal to Roser Capdevila to honor the career of the Catalan illustrator, known internationally for the characters in Les Tres Bessones, and to Antoni Vila Casas to distinguish this cultural patron for his commitment to the country and its capacity to catalyze the artistic wealth of Catalonia.

Roser Capdevila's work has been translated into 35 languages and the cartoon series of the popular sisters has been broadcast in 158 countries. It is an example of the success that can be achieved with Catalan audiovisual and a benchmark in the field. For his part, Antoni Vila Casas, with the creation of a network of museum spaces in various parts of Catalan geography, has succeeded in bringing contemporary art closer to the general public.