Daniel Argimon’s space (1929-1996) invites you to discover one of the most important representatives of Catalan informalism. A painter, engraver and lithographer, his works have been exhibited all over the world and are held in the main museums and public collections of contemporary art in Europe and America. Argimon, also recognized for his significant work as a professor of lithography, was a politically and socially committed artist as well. He helped to found several artists’ associations dedicated to defending the profession.
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ARGIMON at the exhibition In Memoriam. Pioneers of Sustainable Art
29th International Festival of Sustainable Art of Catalonia
In Memorian. Pioneers of Sustainable Art
Santa Àgata Chapel, Barcelona History Museum
Opening: November 22. From November 22 to December 21.
Contemporary art engaged with our times reflects the growing awareness of climate change and the dangers it entails. However, the use of discarded objects and materials in artistic practice is not new: since the early 20th century, Dadaism and Surrealism had already placed the found object at the center of aesthetic and symbolic debate. In Catalonia, this tradition took strong root during the second avant-garde movements and left a decisive mark on the country’s art history.
The exhibition In Memoriam offers a journey through the work of three Barcelona-based artists who marked a turning point in the reuse of everyday objects with critical, poetic, and socially engaged intent. Daniel Argimon i Granell (1929–1996) was a key figure in Catalan informalism, who experimented with matter, collage, and the action of fire, incorporating industrial and domestic waste into works that ironically questioned consumer society. Amèlia Riera i Toyos (1934–2019) developed an introspective and symbolic universe, her work marked by an obsession with death, esotericism, and feminist critique, with highlights including her series of recycled and manipulated mannequins such as Eroticones (1968) and Electrotèrmiques (1978). Josep Guinovart (1927–2007), the most renowned of the three, was a prolific and multifaceted creator who transformed barrels, wood, boxes, and discarded objects into material compositions rich in memory, craftsmanship, and social and political commitment.
Curated by Raquel Medina de Vargas, PhD in Art History and specialist in this generation, the exhibition seeks to reaffirm the relevance of artists who, through their practices, paved the way for a dialogue between art, matter, and society that resonates today more strongly than ever.
ARGIMON AT THE MNAC PERMANENT COLLECTION
The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) has recently acquired works by Argimon and the picture Kruscov is now on display in the Museum’s permanent collection. On 10 April 2025, a ceremony was held to open the new galleries dedicated to the post-war period and the second avant-garde, at which a selection of new acquisitions was presented. For more information see here.
Àlex Mitrani, curator of contemporary art at the MNAC, and Joan Oliveras Bagués, the Museum’s President, at the opening of the new galleries.
Josefa Maza, the artist’s widow, and Jordina Argimon, one of his daughters, in front of the Kruscov painting.
Josefa Maza, the artist’s widow, and Eugènia Argimon, one of his daughters, in front of the Kruscov painting.
CALCOGRAFÍA NACIONAL RECEIVES A LEGACY OF MORE THAN A HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS
OF DANIEL ARGIMON
OF DANIEL ARGIMON
On 1 March 2024, the Calcografía Nacional (Madrid) received a donation of a complete collection of Daniel Argimon’s graphic work.
Isabel Argimon, daughter of the artist, at the donation ceremony.
Tomás Marco Aragón, the Academia de Bellas Artes’ Director, and Isabel Argimon at the donation signing ceremony.
Links:
Calcografía Nacional
ARGIMON AT THE MUSEU D’ART DE GIRONA
From 27 October 2023 to 1 April 2024 the work of Daniel Argimon can be seen in the exhibition: Un altre art. Informalisme a Catalunya 1956-1966. Museu d’art de Girona, Girona (curators: Joan Gil Gregorio and Conxita Oliver).
Untitled, 1963
Mixed technique on canevas
116×81 cm
Private collection, Barcelona
Josefa Maza, widow of the artist, and Eugènia Argimon, one of his daughters.
With the curators Joan Gil and Conxita Oliver, and the writer and art critic Vicenç Altaió.