The exhibition devoted to Adolf Fargnoli opens at MNAC

Thursday, May 30, 2024

The National Museum presents an enlarged version of the exhibition seen at Casa Masó last winter.

Adolf Fargnoli (1890-1951). From Noucentisme to the avant-garde" takes us into the fascinating universe of Adolf Fargnoli, an artist of Italian origin who left a significant mark on the heart of Catalan Noucentisme. Discovered by the architect Rafael Masó, Fargnoli emerged as a virtuoso of wood carving, particularly notable for his magnificent caskets with metal applications and silk-lined interiors, each with a poetic name that characterized them.

With fifty exhibitions both nationally and internationally between 1918 and 1933, Fargnoli became a legend of "noucentista" Girona, acclaimed by critics, artists and intellectuals. However, 1932 marked a turning point in his career when he transformed into a designer fascinated by Hollywood aesthetics. Based in Barcelona, ​​he developed his D'Annali creations, a line of female jewelry that, unfortunately, never came to fruition. In 1933, an emotional crisis and his bohemian nature drove him into a deep depression. Despite his personal literary output, the war and post-war period meant a creative decline, with only a brief recovery around 1945. Fargnoli died quietly in 1951.

MNAC presents an expanded version of the exhibition seen at Casa Masó last winter, with a new section dedicated to the group of artists and artisans from Girona who, like Fargnoli, collaborated with Rafael Masó.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog by Dra. Pilar Vélez, curator of the exhibition, co-edited by Úrsula Llibres, MNAC and the Rafael Masó Foundation.

The exhibition is open in room 68 of modern art at MNAC from June 14 to October 20, 2024. The opening will be on June 13 (7 p.m.). At 6 p.m., in the Sala de la Cúpula, inaugural conference "But who was Adolf Fargnoli of the caskets?", by Pilar Vélez.