Commemoration of the centenary of the birth of the Girona sculptor Francesc Torres Monsó

Girona City Council will organize an event on November 7 to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the Girona sculptor Francesc Torres Monsó. It will take place in the multipurpose hall of La Marfà, at 7 p.m., although first there will be a meeting point at the foot of the artist's sculpture, La Mamaroca , popularly known as La ben plantada , which is in front of the Civic Center of Santa Eugènia.

"With this event we want to highlight and publicly recognize the figure of Torres Monsó and his outstanding artistic legacy", explains the vice-mayor and Councilor for Culture of Girona City Council, Quim Ayats, who recalls that "in 2002 he received the Athenea distinction from the city of Girona in recognition of his vast dedication to sculpture and art in general and for his connection to the city of Girona". "Some of his best-known works are La Mamaroca , a,b,c,q (popularly known as Les lettres toves ), Grans lávis or Llapis ", he added.

The event will feature the interventions of the mayoress of Girona, Marta Madrenas, and the vice-mayor and councilor for Culture of Girona City Council, Quim Ayats. Different prominent people from the art world who were close to the artist will also speak, such as Pep Admetlla, Glòria Bosch, Jordi Font, Carme Ortiz, Josep M. Oliveras and Magdala Perpinyà. Next, the posthumous sculpture project by Francesc Torres Monsó, entitled Universe , will be presented, which at the initiative of the Girona City Council will be located in the Central Park of Rafael Masó and Valentí.

The event will be presented and conducted by the head of the Visual Arts, Museums and Cultural Heritage service of Girona City Council, Carme Sais, and will be attended by the artist's family. Elisa Torres will close the interventions dedicated to the memory of the artist on behalf of the family.

Francesc Torres Monsó (Girona, 1922 – Salt, 2015)

Francesc Torres Monsó, known as Paco, was a very prominent Girona sculptor, restorer and ceramist of the second half of the 20th century. He was born on November 7, 1922 in Calle del Bisbe Lorenzana in Girona. A student at the School of Fine Arts in Girona, he had as teachers Joan Orihuel, Enric Monjo and Josep Clarà. The influence of these artists was very present in his early works. Examples are the busts and human figures he made in the 1940s and 1950s.

In the 1960s, he began to break away from academicist canons and developed his own artistic language, which he would consolidate in the following decades to end up becoming a reference for the sculptural avant-garde in Catalonia. He did this by experimenting with new materials (such as polyester or synthetic resins), geometric figures, the incorporation of irony and criticism, the influence of pop art and the approach to abstract art. Towards the turn of the century, with his artistic fullness consolidated, Torres Monsó dealt with minimalism and formal synthesis.

The sculptor was part of different very relevant artistic groups during the Franco regime and the transition, such as the Postectura group, the Girona group or the Indika group. He took part in numerous individual and collective exhibitions in halls, museums and streets, in Spain as well as around the world, and has been recognized with numerous prizes: the Juli González prize in 1959, the prize of the III Biennal Hispano- American in 1959, the Cross of Sant Jordi in 1991 and the National Culture Award in 2013.