Museu Abelló: 25 years of memory and creation

With the exhibition 'The collection grows. Donations and deposits at the Abelló Museum', the museum celebrates its continuous expansion and, above all, the communal and lively character that has accompanied it for more than two decades, paying tribute to all those who have contributed to the growth of this space: from from artists and collectors to institutions and residents of the city.

'The collection grows' is expressed through a mosaic of donated and deposited works that fill the rooms. The curator of the exhibition, Sílvia Muñoz , has created a tour without thematic divisions, aiming to capture the living and changing spirit of the museum. The works range from classic pieces to contemporary creations, highlighting the Museum's dynamic character over the past 25 years, and linking Joan Abelló's legacy with a new wave of contemporary creators.

In the first room, the exhibition brings together the works of Abelló himself and other contemporary artists, such as Ramon Llobet with his portrait of the painter and the female figure of Josep Guinovart , in addition to the creations of Brossa and Joan Claret . This selection of historical pieces marks the starting point in a founding moment of the museum, with artists who shared the era and sensibilities with Abelló. However, the room also includes works such as the compositions on nature by Isabel Banal , Enric Mauri and Irene Visa , and the urban landscapes of Joan Saló , as well as the atmospheres of Manils , the artist from Mollet who has always sought that cinematic look of the painting

These creators, along with other names such as Raquel Friera, Lola Lasurt, Lluís Estopiñan, Fina Brunes, Varavara & Mar, Piero Manzoni, David Ymbernon, Francesc Abad and Messa , continue to connect the origin of the collection with contemporary sensibilities, in a very interesting way, like the photographs of Maite Caramés or the triptych of Maru Godàs .

'Revers/Mirabilia del pintor. 4', Maite Caramés (2021)

Another outstanding space is the room dedicated to illustration and comics, located in the basement of the museum. This section, which has been growing through donations and deposits, brings together a collection of works where satire and humor play a leading role. Figures such as I sidre Nonell, Joan Junceda, Gaietà Cornet, Josep Costa, Picarol and Ismael Smith represent the critical gaze of a generation of artists who, in the midst of the Franco dictatorship, made humor a tool of resistance and denunciation. These are cartoonists who knew how to capture and question the social dynamics of their time, through caricature and satirical strokes.

Names such as Raquel Gu and Marta Cartu are also present, representing the present and future of illustration and claiming the role of women, historically rendered invisible.

Open to the public until February 9, the exhibition invites you to experience the museum as a space of creation and memory that preserves the past, but also understands and embraces change.

'Ego', Raquel Gu (2015)