Opening to the world
The Balearic Islands enjoyed a prosperous period during the Age of Enlightenment. Despite their isolation, after the British invasion, the islands opened up to European influences. The best example of the Balearic Islands' cultural enrichment is the Minorcan painter Pasqual Calbó i Caldès (1752-1817). Unjustly overlooked, he found Menorca the ideal place to satisfy both his intellectual curiosity and his creativity. This erudite character mastered several languages, which enabled him to study in Vienna and Rome before crossing the Atlantic. In 1787, he worked as a landscape painter in America, then painted black culture in New Orleans before immersing himself in the spirit of the Caribbean. He returned to Menorca at the age of 28, renouncing his commercial ambitions to establish himself on his island as a painter. He left behind religious paintings and rare landscapes, as well as numerous official and private portraits that combine psychology and technical finesse.
Vanguard
Born in Barcelona in 1863, impressionist painter Laureano Barrau studied the Spanish masters in Madrid before continuing his training in Paris. At the age of 47, he settled in Ibiza, more precisely in Santa Eulalia del Rio, where he continued to produce until the age of 98. After his death in 1957, his wife opened the Puig da Missa museum, which houses two hundred of his works. Barrau experienced the first wave of exile in 1930. Thinkers, painters and architects from all over Europe, fleeing fascism, settled in the islands. Cultural life was greatly energized. Raoul Haussman, co-founder of the Dadaist movement, settled in Ibiza at this time and took photographs that today constitute a veritable historical memory of the island. The end of the 1950s further strengthened the islands' appeal. There was even a craze for Ibiza among artists. The beatniks were Ibiza's first counter-culture. The island's first gallery, El Corsario, was born. Museums, exhibition halls and galleries flourish on every island in the archipelago.
Grupo 59
German artist Erwin Bechtold made Ibiza his home in 1954, while maintaining artistic links with European capitals. In 1959, he and Erwin Broner founded the Groupe 59, which brought together the Western avant-garde: Germans Hans Laabs, Egon Neubauer and Katja Meirowsky, Americans Robert W. Munford and Erwin Broner, Swede Bertil Sjoeberg and Spaniards Antonio Ruiz and Carlos Sansegundo. It's more of an alliance than a school, each developing its own style. In the same spirit, in 1962 the Grupo Puget brought together Antoni Marí Ribas "Portmany", Vicent Calbet, Ferrer Guasch and Toni Pomar.
The first Balearic Biennial took place in 1964, and in 1969 the first Spanish museum of contemporary art opened in Ibiza.
Joan Miró (1893-1983)
The son of a Mallorcan woman, the young Joan Miró was born in Barcelona, but spent his vacations in Mallorca. It was in Paris that he met other great Spanish artists such as Picasso, as well as the Surrealists. In love with Mallorca, he returned to settle there after the war.
In 1955, Catalan architect Josep Lluís Sert designed his studio in Cala Major, near Palma. When Miró died in 1982, his widow Pilar transformed their home into the Fundacio Pilar i Joan Miró, in accordance with her wishes. We highly recommend taking the time to stroll through this magical place. Painter, sculptor, engraver and ceramist Joan Miró is one of the few artists to have created a unique language that has become universal. Described as a "mirobolant" painter by Desnos, he loved bright colors, and above all, blue. His forms, bordering on lyrical abstraction, evoke birds, stars and the dream world, whether in his etchings or monumental works.
Miquel Barceló
Born in Mallorca in 1957, he is undoubtedly the most famous of the Balearic-born painters, and one of the leading international figures in contemporary art. After studying in Palma and at the Beaux-Arts in Barcelona, he made his mark at the São Paulo Biennial in 1981. In 1996, his retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris established him as one of the most highly-rated painters on the market. In 2004, he was the first contemporary painter to exhibit his work at the Louvre, with his watercolors of the Divine Comedy. Influenced by conceptual art, art brut, action painting and artists such as Miró and Antoni Tàpies, Barceló finds his main source of inspiration in nature. His discovery of Mali, where he now lives in part, is reflected in his paintings. His works can be admired in Palma Cathedral and the Es Baluard Museum in Palma.
The new generation
In Palma, urban art is a popular means of expression appreciated by all. The best way to discover this ever-changing art is to stroll around. For the more organized, the Porta Mallorquina blog keeps you up to date with street art in almost real time. A number of artists stand out from the crowd, including two women: Marina Molada, who covers the walls with her black-and-white photos, and Esther Olondriz. The most international is undoubtedly Joan Aguiló. Trained at the Beaux-arts in Barcelona and Mexico City, he discovered urban art in Berlin. Returning to Mallorca in 2013, he developed his art in the city of Palma. Stolen moments show anonymous people in scenes taken from local culture. His immense frescoes now emanate from official commissions. His most famous mural, depicting a giant child sucking a bottle in front of a toy train, can be seen by travelers on their way to Soller. Authentic local art can be found at the Sargantana gallery. Oil paintings, watercolors and postcards will be an excellent souvenir of your stay. Taking a different approach, Gallery Corner bridges the gap between artists inspired by the islands and the general public, offering originals accessible to all budgets: photographs by young Danish artist Rebeka Vodrazkova or Mallorcan artist Rafael Forteza, or collages questioning the feminine figure of Flor Rajo. The spirit of Miro can be felt everywhere on the Balearic Islands.
