Background

Modest Cuixart was born on November 2, 1925 in Barcelona, Spain. His cousin was an artiast Antoni Tàpies.

Education

Although Modest loved drawing as a child, he studied medicine in 1944 until the after-effects of the civil war drove him in 1947 to abandon his desire to become a doctor and to take up art full time, initially influenced by the expressionists. Cuixart graduated from the Barcelona Academy of Art.

Career

Modest Cuixart traveled to France in 1951, and in 1955 presented an exhibition in Barcelona. By the early 1960s, Cuixart's abstract works were being exhibited in galleries worldwide, from the Guggenheim in New York to the Tate in London.

In 1971 he settled in Palafrugell, Spain, and was active until the year 2002, when he stopped painting.

Cuixart died on October 31, 2007 in Palamós, Catalonia, Spain.

Achievements

• Among Cuixart's numerous awards were the Torres García Award at the Salón de Mayo in 1958, the Gold Medal in the International Abstract Art Contest in Switzerland in 1958, the International Painting Prize of the Sao Paulo 5th Art Biennial in 1959, the Creu de Sant Jordi Award in 1983 and the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 1999.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • Marfruit

  • Paradiso Germinis

  • Deseo de los Golitsyn

  • Constelación

  • Cel de Tardora

  • Criptis

  • Flor esventada

  • Cap de Rogent

  • Mont del cercle

  • Untitled (Komposition 40)

  • Pintura i matèries

  • Untitled

  • Linneus escriba

  • Natura Aurea

  • Boscatge de Varignon

  • Niu de cendra

  • Palimpsesto

  • Bulb de Daura

  • Graffiti- matèries

  • Esperit de Kamil

  • Cap de Vector

  • Linneus escriba

  • Marne

  • Tierra de sión

  • Macumba Río

  • Les fulles seques fan sardana

  • Sept Personnages D'exorcisme

  • Terra de Bassora

  • Boscuria antropomórfica

  • Espai fibrat

  • Jardí de Tardores

  • Untitled

  • Frec de Maloia

  • Cercle doré

  • Geor

  • Bouche Sperdument

  • Untitled

  • Exqueix

  • Visbert

  • Fruit de Garvinor

  • Le ciel

  • Untitled

  • Ras de Tramort

  • Rit

  • Migdiada de globus

  • Nemesius Hals

  • Untitled

  • Diàlegs

  • Nemor

  • Omorka

Membership

In 1948 Cuixart founded an avant-garde group "Dau al Set" along with Antoni Tàpies, Joan Ponç, Joan Josep Tharrats and the visual poet Joan Brossa.

• Dau al Set , Spain

  1948

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• Time magazine: ""Cuixart makes elegant mud pies, the blackest and heaviest in the notably gloomy Spanish exposition. Black may always be in fashion, especially in Spain. Yet the spirit of Goya is clearly not with Cuixart. He makes despair chic."

Connections

Cousin:

Antoni Tàpies

colleague:

Joan Ponç

colleague:

Joan Josep Tharrats

colleague:

Joan Brossa

References

• New Spanish Painting and Sculpture: Rafael Canogar, Eduardo Chillida, Martin Chirino, Modest Cuixart, Francisco Farreras, Luis Feito, Manolo Millares. Rivera, Antonio Saura, Pablo Serrano, Antonio
• Cuixart (Maestros actuales de la pintura y escultura catalanas ; 33) (Spanish Edition)
• Modest Cuixart