Noucentisme in Girona would not be understood without the contributions of Monsalvatje (Olot, 1881-1921), many of which he made together with Rafael Masó. Writer, painter, cabinetmaker and patron of the arts, his is a link that links initiatives and trajectories, through the Athenea society and the patronage of local and international artists. Monsalvatje cultivated the friendship of Carles Rahola, Prudenci Bertrana, Joaquim Pla, Miquel de Palol, Josep Tharrats and many others, from whom he gained respect and ideological authority.

As a writer, Xavier Monsalvatje started in the late Modernisme, often leaning towards decadent narratives, published in Girona and Barcelona magazines. The provocation of his literary work was complemented by a shattering personal image of a dandy with which he presented himself to the stunned and conservative Girona society. As an amateur painter, he followed in the footsteps of his brother-in-law, Iu Pascual, and also dedicated himself to cabinetmaking. It then evolved into Noucentisme, visible especially in the recovery of the popular imagery of its ex-libris, in the promotion of artists such as Fidel Aguilar and in the book Terra de gestes i de beutat. Girona (1917 and 1918), synthesis of the renewed look at the city. This work, co-written with Joaquim Pla, overcomes the myth of the heroic and dead city, inviting you to experience it through the eyes of writers and painters who have admired it.

Free entrance.

Exhibition curated by Josep Pujol i Coll, and produced by the Rafael Masó Foundation and the Josep Aragay Municipal Museum of Breda.