Joaquín Torres García

Was born into the family of a small shopkeeper. He did not attend school and received home education from his mother.

After the family moved to his father’s homeland in Catalonia, he attended the Barcelona School of Fine Arts and Crafts “Llotja”. There he studied drawing and painting (course by Josep Vindell). At the end of the school year, he received the first prize for his landscape.

The first small personal exhibition of his drawings took place at the exhibition hall of the office of newspaper La Vanguardia Española. Until 1899, he worked as an illustrator in several magazines. The style of his drawings indicates the significant influence of the work of A. Toulouse-Lautrec, whose exhibition was held in Barcelona in 1896.

His second solo exhibition was held at the exhibition hall of La Vanguardia. Lived and worked at Sarria. Later, started cooperating with Antonio Gaudi (he designed stained glass for the cathedrals of Santa María de Palma de Mallorca and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona).

Participated in the exhibition Cercle Artistic de Sant Lluc in Sala Pares. He created six large murals for the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the Church of San Agustin (they were destroyed in a fire in 1936). He painted the apse of the church Divina Pastora de Sarrià (not preserved). Completed the mural commissioned by the city council of Barcelona.

Fulfilled the order for the design of the Uruguayan pavilion for the VI World Exhibition in Brussels, presented there the large canvas “Philosophy X Musa”, later donated by the author to the Catalan Institut d’Estudis. The year before, he published illustrations in Arte Joven magazine. The artist married Manolita Pigne de Rubies; the couple had four children.

His solo exhibition was held at Galeries Dalmau, Barcelona (later on, his vernissages took place in 1913, 1916, 1918, 1926 and 1929); his book “Notes on creativity” was published; worked as a drawing teacher at the school of Mont d’Or. During the First World War, he patronized F. Picabia, the spouses Delaunay and other French exiled artists in Barcelona.

Moved to New York, where he established the production of wooden toys, the design of which he was developing (the production of the Aladdin Toys burned down in 1925). In 1921, a joint exhibition of the works of Torres Garcia, Stuart Davis and Stanislav Szukalski was held at Whitney New York Studio.

Returned to Europe, lived in Italy for some time. After two years he moved to France, lived in the Mediterranean city of Villefranche-sur-Mer near Nice, then in Paris, where he rented a working studio with artist Jean Elyon.

Created the group “Circle and Square” with the support of Michel Szuphor. Their exhibition took place the following year, bringing together 46 artists. Was interested in the primitive and pre-Columbian art of America.

In the gallery Jeanne Bucher (Paris), he exhibited his works together with Max Ernst, Hans Arp; a separate exhibition of his latest paintings and sculptures was held at the gallery of Pierre. The following year, experiencing serious financial difficulties, he left for Madrid, where his exhibition was held at the Museum of Modern Art. Soon he returned to his homeland, settled in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.

Founded the Association of Constructive Art (Asociacíon de Arte Constructivo, AAC), taught painting, advocated for European new styles and his theory about the specific path of formation and development of Latin American art.

Completed the construction of his new workshop in Montevideo, where young artists of the country grouped around the master. He published “City without a name” – a facsimile reproduction of an illustrated manuscript.