Jaume Busquets i Mollera (Girona, 1903 – Barcelona, 1968) was a Spanish sculptor and painter of the ''
noucentisme
Noucentisme (, ''noucentista'' being its adjective) was a Catalan cultural movement of the early 20th century that originated largely as a reaction against Modernisme, both in art and ideology, and was, simultaneously, a perception of art almos ...
'' generation from
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
.
He was the youngest son of a family of four artist brothers from
Girona
Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...
,
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
, Spain.
Busquets was a disciple of
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet ( , ; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalans, Catalan architect and designer from Spain, widely known as the greatest exponent of Catalan ''Modernisme''. Gaudí's works have a style, with most located in Barc ...
. He designed and sculpted the
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...
ensemble on the Nativity façade of Gaudí's
Sagrada Familia Sagrada is a Spanish word meaning "sacred
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. T ...
Basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
Shrine
A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...
in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. Busquets also designed and sculpted the statue of the
Blessed Virgin
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
with Child on the façade of the
Girona Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary, (Catalan language, Catalan: ''Catedral de Santa Maria''), is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic cathedral located in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Girona.
The cathedral's in ...
.
Career
A precocious boy, Busquets went to work, at the age of fifteen, in the Barcelona studio of
Darius Vilas.
In his final years, Busquets devoted his energies exclusively to sculpture, producing his masterworks, the ''Jesus, Maria i Josep'' ensemble (1958) that forms the centerpiece of Gaudi's Nativity Façade and the ''Mare de Deu'' statue (1962) that adorns the façade of the Girona Cathedral.
[Ajuntament de Girona, ''Els Germans Busquets'' 1917-1941, pp.17-19]
References
Sources
*Ajuntament de Girona, ''Els Germans Busquets 1917-1941'', Girona, 1996.
*Ajuntament de Girona
biographical page(Catalan)
*Busquets, Joan, ''L'art que expressa la fe'', Girona, 1997.
*Cathedral de Giron
Official website(English avail.)
External links
*
1903 births
1968 deaths
Architects from Catalonia
Catholic painters
People from Girona
Catholic sculptors
Spanish Roman Catholics
Modernisme architects
20th-century Spanish architects
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