ANTONI CLAVÉ IN CAPITAL LETTERS

5 September - 16 November 2025

 

To mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Antoni Clavé (Barcelona, 1913 - Saint-Tropez, 2005), the Palau Martorell presents a major retrospective of the Catalan artist, organised on the initiative of the Joan Gaspar Gallery in collaboration with the Clavé Archive, with the support of the Government of Catalonia (Department of the Presidency and Department of Justice and Democratic Quality) and Barcelona City Council, and in collaboration with Barcelona Provincial Council.

 

‘Antoni Clavé in Capital Letters’ is curated by Aude Hendgen, head of the Antoni Clavé Archives in Paris, and José Félix Bentz, co-founder of the Palau Martorell and president of the Reial Cercle Artístic.

 

The exhibition will be held at two venues: the Palau Martorell and the Reial Cercle Artístic, where more than 80 masterpieces from public and private collections will be on display. With the same exhibition ticket, visitors will also have the opportunity to visit the Clavé Rooms at the Palau de la Generalitat, on specific days and with prior registration. Due to the characteristics of the space, capacity will be limited and advance registration will be required. We will soon provide information on the available dates and the registration procedure on our website. 

 

It is worth highlighting the commitment of the Memorial Democràtic del Departament de Justicia i Qualitat Democràtica (Democratic Memory Department of the Ministry of Justice and Democratic Quality) to the publication of the exhibition catalogue. This is a joint effort with the curators to produce a reference volume for experts, collectors and art lovers.

​

​

Barcelona, 4 September 2025.- ‘Antoni Clavé in Capital Letters’, which will remain open from 5 September to 16 November, is conceived as a major retrospective and anthological exhibition of the Catalan artist's work, bringing together more than 80 pieces, some of them previously unseen, on loan from public and private collections. It is the first exhibition of this magnitude dedicated to Clavé since the one organised by La Pedrera in 1996, 29 years ago. It is curated by José Félix Bentz, co-founder of Palau Martorell and president of the Reial Cercle Artístic, and by Aude Hendgen, head of the Antoni Clavé Archives in Paris.

 

Antoni Clavé is one of the great figures of 20th-century Catalan and Spanish art, representing the archetype of the total artist, whose mark on art history is unquestionable. His curiosity and talent allowed him to move with equal mastery between seemingly disparate disciplines, which, in his case, converge in a coherent and deeply personal artistic universe. From his basic training in his native Barcelona, where he learned the craft and absorbed the artistic tensions of his time, to his consecration in post-war Paris and his global recognition, Clavé built a body of work that is both a witness to his time and an expression of timeless research.

 

His creativity found various avenues of expression through set design, engraving, poster art and sculpture, without ever forgetting painting as his central focus. His artistic output is characterised by constant experimentation with materials, a profound understanding of space and an innate capacity for expressive synthesis.

 

The exhibition has two venues: the Palau Martorell and the Reial Cercle Artístic. With the same exhibition ticket, visitors will also have the opportunity to visit the Clavé Rooms at the Palau de la Generalitat, on specific days and with prior registration. Due to the characteristics of the space, capacity will be limited and advance registration will be required. We will soon provide information on the available dates and the registration procedure on our website.