Casa Masó permanently exhibits a selection of drawings and paintings collected by Rafael Masó Pagès (1851–1915), the architect’s father. By the late 19th century, Masó Pagès had become a prototypical figure of the Renaixença: a family man, conservative, Catholic, and Catalanist. He worked as a court solicitor, owned the Masó Printing House, and founded the Diario de Gerona. He also served as a city councillor and provincial deputy, but above all, he was a great lover of the fine arts. An enthusiast of drawing and painting, he assembled a considerable art collection from his time. Like a true member of the bourgeoisie, his interest in art was both a symbol of cultural status and social prestige.

This exhibition presents a selection of drawings from Rafael Masó Pagès’ collection, accompanied by other works on paper by artists and schools he admired, sourced from private collections in Girona and Barcelona. The aim is to reclaim the art of the 18th and 19th centuries—often dismissed for its academicism—and to showcase its formal and thematic variety. Notable artists include the Italians Teodoro Matteini and Giuseppe Lucini, the Valencians Mariano Salvador Maella, Vicente López, and José Camarón, and the Madrid-based Zacarías González, Luis Paret, and, above all, Eugenio Lucas Velázquez. Together, these works reveal the role of art and collecting in a society, a country, and a city undergoing transformation at the dawn of modernity.

Curated by Artur Ramon and produced by the Rafael Masó Foundation, with support from the Diputació de Girona. The Rafael Masó Foundation receives ongoing support from the Girona City Council, the Girona Chapter of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia, the College of Technical Architecture of Girona, and the University of Girona.