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Born in Catalonia, Gironella (1911-1997) followed at an early age in his father’s footsteps in cork craftsmanship. Engendering a lifelong history with cork, unbothered by the exile to France forced by Franco. Thus, in 1948, Jean Dubuffet and André Breton dedicated an exhibition to him. Then, in 1967, Gironella is included in the exhibition L’art brut at the Musée des Arts Décoratif (Paris), hosted by François Mathey, then chief curator. Since 2021, he has been part of the traveling exhibition Francesc Tosquelles. Comme une machine à coudre dans un champ de blé, which will end its road at the New York American Folk Art Museum (after Les Abattoirs, Toulouse ; The Reina Sofía Museum , Madrid ; Contemporary cultural center Barcelone).

Joaquim Vicens Gironella during the shooting of the movie *Le Liège et la Mémoire* 1992-1993 - © christian berst — art brut
Date 1911 — 1997
Country Spain

Joaquim Vicens Gironella was born in Catalonia, near the French border. As most of his family worked as cork makers, he was initiated to the same craft and wrote articles and poems celebrating the qualities of cork oak for local press. In 1936 he became involved in the Spanish army. On 1939 he escaped to France where he was interned in a camp in Aude. After his liberation Gironella moved to Toulouse where he worked in a factory. Around 1941 he began sculpting cork. The director of the factory, René Lajus, asked him to lend him several sculptures for his office in Paris. In 1948, Jean Dubuffet, who was at the time still a wine merchant, visited him for a command of corks and fell in love with Gironella’s work. He decided to organize an exhibition of his carvings at the Foyer de l’Art Brut. Progressively, Gironella transformed his technique, creating in particular mural panels, inspired by themes linked to his native Catalonia, Muslim art, but also medieval representations.

Artworks
Please contact us to inquire about the available works.
hunting in the tropics - © christian berst — art brut
hunting in the tropics, 1960
27.95 x 13.78 in
5 p.m. - © christian berst — art brut
5 p.m., 1965
35.43 x 15.75 in
untitled (the couple under the cork oak) - © christian berst — art brut
untitled (the couple under the cork oak), 1980
8.66 x 11.81 in
nude - © christian berst — art brut
nude, 1970
8.66 x 30.71 in
head of Christ 2 - © christian berst — art brut
head of Christ 2, 1958
17.72 x 20.08 in
Catalog
preTENse
Catalogue published to mark the exhibition *preTENse*, christian berst art brut, Paris, 2015. - © christian berst — art brut

Preface : Stéphane Corréard
Foreword : Christian Berst
Catalog published to mark the exhibition preTENse, from September 12th to October 10th, 2015.

Exhibitions
an artwork by gironella presented in the exhibition la main (et) le gant
Jenisch Vevey museum. From May 17 to August 18, 2024.
over 50 brut artists in l’esprit singulier
Curator: Martine Lusardy, halle saint-pierre. From March 12 to August 14, 2024.
Portreto de la animo
collection Treger Saint-Silvestre, Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis, Porto, Portugal. From July 13 to November 12, 2023.
Francesc Tosquelles. Como una máquina de coser en un campo de trigo
American Folk Art Museum, New York, Etats-Unis. From June 12 to October 23, 2023.
Joaquim Vicens Gironella:
lost paradise. From April 6 to June 4, 2023.
View more
brut
treasures. From December 8 to January 22, 2022.
Joaquim Vicens Gironella. Vivre dans des temps agités et créer en marge
Musée du Liège, Palafrugell, Espagne. From October 15, 2022 to January 15, 2023.
chercher l’or du temps
LaM, Villeneuve-D’ascq. From October 14, 2022 to January 29, 2023.
Like a Sewing Machine in a Wheat Field :
Francesc Tosquelles, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. From September 27, 2022 to March 27, 2023.
Francesc Tosquelles :
Like a Sewing Machine in a Wheat Field, Centre Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona. From April 8 to August 28, 2022.
La Déconniatrie :
art, exile and psychiatry around François Tosquelles, Les Abattoirs, Toulouse. From October 14, 2021 to March 6, 2022.
Sereno variavel
curated by Antonia Gaeta, Centro de Arte Oliva, São João da Madeira. From October 31, 2020 to May 2, 2021.
The Museum of everything
Museum of Old and New Art, Tasmania. From June 17, 2017 to April 2, 2018.
Art Brut
A Story of Individual Mythologies, Treger Saint Silvestre Collection, Portugal. From January 1 to February 26, 2017.
L’Art Brut de Jean Dubuffet, aux origines de la collection
Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne, Suisse. September 30, 2016.
Architectures
Collection de l'Art Brut, Lausanne. From November 13, 2015 to April 17, 2016.
PreTENse
at the Gallery. From September 12 to October 10, 2015.
Art brut: breaking the boundaries
curator Christian Berst, Oliva Creative Factory, Sao Joao da Madeira, Portugal. From June 1 to September 11, 2014.
Collecting Madness
Outsider Art from the Damman Collection Volume #2, Prinzhorn Collection, Allemagne . From March 14 to April 14, 2014.
The Museum of Everything
Pinacoteca Agnelli, Turin, Italie. From April 1 to August 29, 2010.
Joaquim Vincens Gironella
The spirit of cork, at the gallery. From April 27 to June 2, 2007.
Joaquim Vicens Gironella : art brut collection
Lausanne, Suisse. June 5, 1988.
Joaquim Vicens Gironella
centre culturel de l'Albigeois, Albi, France. January 10, 1986.
L’art brut
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France. From January 1 to March 1, 1967.
Joaquim Vicens Gironella - © christian berst — art brut
Joaquim Vicens Gironella - © christian berst — art brut
Joaquim Vicens Gironella - © christian berst — art brut
Joaquim Vicens Gironella - © christian berst — art brut
exhibition view of *preTENse, group exhibition*, christian berst art brut, paris, 2015. - © christian berst art brut, christian berst — art brut
Press review
Portraits (plus ou moins) bruts
Marc Lenot, Lunettes Rouges, Le Monde. October 3, 2023.
Que devient l’art brut?
Françoise Monnin, Artension. September 10, 2023.
Joaquim Vicens Gironella : l’Evangile du liège
Damien Aubel, Transfuge. May 9, 2023.
L’art s’invite en ville dans les vignes
Anna Maisonneuve, Sud Ouest (print). May 9, 2023.
Salon BAD+ à Bordeaux, de quoi s’agit-il?
Sud Ouest (web). May 9, 2023.
View more
Sélection galerie : Joaquim Vicens Gironella chez Christian Berst
Philippe Dagen, Le Monde. May 6, 2023.
press-review-1123
Bénédicte Philippe, Télarama. April 28, 2023.
El ‘paraíso perdido’ de Vicens Gironella se presenta en París después de recalar en Londres
Conxa Rodríguez, Público. April 13, 2023.
Homenatge artístic a la màxima figura de l’Art Brut
David Céspedes, Diari De Girona. November 29, 2022.
Arte bruta
Richard Treger, Raw Vision. April 11, 2014.
They are n°1
Surface. August 20, 2010.
Joaquim Vincens Gironella : l'esprit du liège
Bénédicte Philippe, Télérama Sortir. May 23, 2007.
Gironella pousse le bouchon
Animula Vagula. April 22, 2007.
Collections
collection Laurent et Alice Nebot
France
collection de l’Art brut
Switzerland
Carmen and Daniel Klein collection
Switzerland
Antoine Frérot collection
France
abcd / Bruno Decharme collection
France
View more
Treger Saint Silvestre collection
Portugal
Amr Shaker collection
Switzerland
Emmanuelle and Guy Delcourt collection
France
Hervé Lancelin collection
Luxembourg
Dammann collection
Switzerland
Museum del suro
Spain
Musée du Liège
France
Joaquim Vicens Gironella

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