christian berst art brut: Lost Paradise, an Exhibition in Honour of Joaquim Vicens Gironella
The Christian Berst gallery devotes a second monographic exhibition to the work of Joaquim Vicens Gironella, this time showing over 20 cork sculptures and bas-reliefs dating from the 50s to his death in 1997. Discovered and exhibited by André Breton and Jean Dubuffet in the Pavillon des jardins de Gaston Gallimard in 1948, Vicens Gironella is now considered one of the leading figures of the art brut movement. Originally from Catalonia, this cork worker had to exile to Toulouse after Franco’s victory, where he put his professional competence at the service of an unrestrained artistic creation. The artist produced an extensive collection of works that featured figures of astonishing and whimsical perspectives, inspired by an unconditional love for his motherland. Meanwhile, on its other exhibition space, The Bridge, Pascal Pique presents “brut frequencies: eco-aesthetic manifesto #1”, an exhibition that brings together about twenty contemporary and brut artists.
Text: Emma Grossi
Photos: Marilù Parisi
