In 1950, the first and only exhibition of the Postectura group, formed by six painters and six sculptors: Esther Boix, Joaquim Datsira, Ricard Creus, Martí-Sabé, Torres-Monsó and Josep M. Subirachs, was inaugurated at the Galeries Laietanes in Barcelona. Although all of them had already shown their work in collective competitions such as the Salons d’Octubre, the Postectura exhibition marked a before and after in their careers. For many of them, this first exhibition of their work was an awareness and affirmation of an artistic career −until then incipient− that would turn them into prominent figures of the second Catalan avant-garde.
The catalogue includes the set of works exhibited in the exhibition “Postectura: la construcción del demà”, held at the Museu d’Art de Girona, but also delves into the process of the group’s genesis and the cultural and artistic context that made it possible. Thus, through several thematic chapters, the reader can delve into the artistic origins of the group’s members −the workshop of sculptor Enric Monjo and the Escola Llotja de Barcelona− but also into the trajectory of other parallel groups −such as the Betepocs and the Flamma group− and, obviously, into their exhibition at the Laietanas. We have not wanted to forget, either, the scope of their trajectories after their dissolution. Some of the members of Postectura became, over time, prominent figures in the Catalan avant-garde artistic scene and the works produced during the years of Postectura are essential to understanding their later work. It is a good opportunity to learn about one of the lesser-known and studied stages of such prominent figures as Josep M. Subirachs, Esther Boix or Torres Monsó, but also to discover the trajectories, not always sufficiently valued or known, of Martí-Sabé, Joaquim Datsira or Ricard Creus, of whom only their work as a writer is known.
The exhibition and its catalogue contextualise and vindicate an initiative that, despite being ephemeral, left an indelible mark on the history of Catalan art, but also vindicates an entire generation of artists who made great efforts to renew the oppressive and hostile atmosphere of the Franco years. A unique opportunity to discover the atmosphere and artistic spirit of the post-war years that has often been buried behind more groundbreaking artistic options.
Bernat Puigdollers
Exhibition curator and catalogue coordinator
The catalogue can be purchased at the Museu d’Art shop and also online at the Generalitat de Catalunya bookstore.
