Josep Llimona i Bruguera

Josep Llimona i Bruguera (Barcelona, 1864–1934). Sculptor. He studied at the Llotja School in Barcelona and the workshops of the brothers Agapit and Venanci Vallmitjana. He became known and won awards for his sculptures for cemeteries.

In 1892, with his brother, the painter Joan Llimona, he founded the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc, an organisation that adopted an idealism of religious conviction which, initially, forbade depicting the female nude.

Josep Llimona's statues initially were influenced by the Romanticism and Naturalism of his masters, but he soon began to work in Art Nouveau style. During a stay in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century, he became influenced by Rodin, amongst other sculptors of the day, and started to work on the female nude, at which he excelled, both in freestanding pieces and architectural and funeral sculpture.

Llimona depictions were basically female figures with blurred outlines, rounded forms, languid postures, enigmatic smiles and closed eyes, with a symbolist language that marked his art.

Parts of the collection

  • Modèstia