Galeries Dalmau

[1][2] In 1912, Galeries Dalmau presented the first declared group exhibition of Cubism worldwide,[1][3] with a controversial showing by Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Juan Gris, Marie Laurencin and Marcel Duchamp.

Dalmau published the Dadaist review 391 created by Picabia,[4][5] and gave support to Troços by Josep Maria Junoy i Muns [ca].

Aware of the difficulty and marginality of the innovative art sectors, their cultural diffusion, and promotion criterion beyond any stylistic formula, Dalmau made these experiences the center of the gallery's programming.

It was also made possible from the proceeds of an exhibition of modern and old master portraits and drawings, organized by the City Council of Barcelona the previous year, in which Dalmau participated as an antique dealer with some valuable works by El Greco, Feliu Elias (aka Joan Sacs) and two works by Francisco Goya, Portrait of Manuel Godoy, valued at 15,000 pesetas and Retrato de niño, 8,000 pesetas.

[11] For the coming years, this became the platform featuring pioneering exhibitions of Fauvism, Orphism, De Stijl, and abstract art with Francis Picabia, Kees van Dongen, Joaquín Torres-García, Henri Matisse, Juliette Roche, Georges Braque, André Derain, Auguste Herbin, Fernand Léger, André Lhote, Gino Severini, Louis Valtat, Félix Vallotton, Hans Arp, María Blanchard and others in both collective and solo exhibitions.

Cubist paintings had already been exhibited at the 1910 Salon d'Automne (by Jean Metzinger, Robert Delaunay, Henri Le Fauconnier and Fernand Léger), but not under a group banner or name.

Jacques Nayral's association with Gleizes led him to write the Preface for the Cubist exhibition,[1] which was fully translated and reproduced in the newspaper La Veu de Catalunya.

No, not even that: in exchange for a supreme and marvelous selfish joy, it would be better not to try to analyze that divine sensation of mystery, that communion with the great unknown, which the contemplation of pure beauty elicits in the depths of our souls.

[12] Cubists artists consisted of Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Marcel Duchamp, Juan Gris, Marie Laurencin, August Agero, with works by Henri Le Fauconnier and Fernand Léger listed in the supplement of the catalogue.

He exhibited a Study for "Le Goûter" (1911),[30] which was printed on an advertising poster for the Cubist show at Dalmau, and two paintings, Nature morte (Compotier et cruche décorée de cerfs) (1910-11) and Deux Nus (Two Nudes, Two Women) (1910-11).

Articles were published in the newspapers Esquella de La Torratxa[31] and El Noticiero Universal[32] attacking the Cubists with a series of caricatures laced with text, showing people shaped like cones standing in front of the works.

[36][37][38] Art historian Jaime Brihuega writes of the Dalmau Cubist show: "No doubt that the exhibition produced a strong commotion in the public, who welcomed it with a lot of suspicion.

Eugenio d'Ors had written about his work in the newspaper El Poble Català (19 August 1905), and Joan Sacs (Feliu Elias) had already dedicated an article to him in Magazine Nova (4/7/1914).

Seven works by van Dongen were shown: Tanger, Vacances, Cousine, Le chrysanthème, Intérieur, Portrait of the Princesse Salomé Andreeif and Danseuse orientale.

Ràfols wrote a detailed account of van Dongen work, although not without some reticence, as he described a "believer exceeded by the artificiality of the type of woman, make-up and frivolous, portrayed by the artist.

In Vell i Nou, Romà Jori wrote: "from the union between symbolist poets and impressionist painters this painting is born, which has Van Dongen as one of its most solid representatives".

[50] Charchoune attended academies in Moscow before his 1912 arrival in Paris, where he studied Cubism under Jean Metzinger and Le Fauconnier at Académie de La Palette.

Albert and Juliette Gleizes, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Francis Picabia, Marie Laurencin and her husband Otto von Wätjen [fr], Olga Sacharoff, Serge Charchoune and Rafael Barradas were among the artists to adopt Barcelona as their new home; others included the film theoretician and publisher of the avant-garde magazine Montjoie!, Ricciotto Canudo; artist and boxer Arthur Cravan, his brother Otho Lloyd; poet, painter, playwright, choreographer Valentine de Saint-Point, and art critic Max Goth (Maximilien Gauthier).

We are engulfed in flame, we vibrate; our spirit is vibratory, agile; it covers immense spaces in seconds; we feel in ourselves the conviction that we can achieve extraordinary things.

[67][73][72] The reaction among critics was mixed, and Miró only managed to sell one work, a still life of a coffee grinder, which was purchased by Catalan artist Josep Mompou (who exhibited at Galeries Dalmau in 1908) for 250 pesetas.

[70] The sheer number of artists was vast, and so too the range of periods covered; from post-Impressionism to abstract art, Fauvism, Cubism and De Stijl in passing.

[78] Artists included María Blanchard, Georges Braque, Henri-Edmond Cross, Jean Dufy, Raoul Dufy, André Derain, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Emile-Othon Friesz, Albert Gleizes, Juan Gris, Henri Hayden, Auguste Herbin, Marie Laurencin, Fernand Léger, André Lhote, Jacques Lipchitz, Henri Manguin, Jean Marchand, Albert Marquet, Henri Matisse, Jean Metzinger, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Gino Severini, Paul Signac, Joaquim Sunyer, Léopold Survage, Louis Valtat, Félix Vallotton, Kees van Dongen, Maurice de Vlaminck, and Manuel Ortiz de Zárate.

[76] Maurice Raynal delivered a surreal preface laced with philosophy, theology, seemingly geared towards the collectors inner sensibility: Afición ciega razón, says a Spanish proverb.

[...] "The negative reviews from the Catalan cultural and artistic institutions following the first publications of 391, appeared to have interfered in Picabia's exhibition at Dalmau, despite the fact that tendencies were flowing inexorably toward the avant-garde, Dada included.

However, there was published an extensive article on Picabia and Breton's conference in La publicitat, written by the art critic Magí Albert Cassanyes i Mestre [ca].

[92] Lorca's works were a blend of popular and avant-garde styles, complementing the artists poetry collection, "Canción" (Song), which was printed a month prior to the exhibition.

He later described the double faces as self-portraits, showing "man's capacity for crying as well as winning", inline with his conviction that sorrow and joy were inseparable, just as life and death.

[97][98][99] The closing of Galeries Dalmau was possibly due to several factors: the use of operational procedures obsolete in the art market of the twenties, expenses, increasing competition, and the low profitability obtained from the sales.

Acín Aquilué, Ramón Agero, August Amat Pagès, Josep Aragay, Josep Aymat, Tomàs Badrinas Escudé, Antoni Ballesté, Jacint Bardas, Nicolau Isidro Barradas, Rafael Basiana Arbiell, Evarist Bechini, Gabriel Begué, Hortense Beltran Sanfeliu, Josep Benet Vancells, Rafael Bergnes, Guillem Blanchard, María Blanes, Camilo Bosch Canals, Andreu Boussingault, Jean-Louis Braque, Georges Bréton, André Burty, Frank Camarasa, F. Camps, Francesc Canals, Ricard Cano, Manolo Carles Rosich, Domingo Cassanyes, Magí Castanys, Valentí Cénac Bercciartu, Enrique Charchoune, Serge Cid, Remigio Clapés Puig, Aleix Climent, Enrique Cochet, Gustavo Colom, Joan Coscolla Plana, Feliu Costa, Miquel Costa, Pere Cross, Henri-Edmond Cueto, Germán Dalí Domènech, Salvador Dalmau Rafel, Josep Dam, Bertil De Regoyos, Darío De Togores Llach, Josep Delaunay, Sònia Derain, André Donskaia, Tatiana Duchamp, Marcel Dufy, Raoul Dufy, Jean Dunoyer de Segonzac, André Dunyach Sala, Josep Elias Bracons, Feliu Enguiu Malaret, Ernest Espinal Armengol, Marià Estivill, Ricard Fabrés, Júlia Fernández Peña, Manuel Ferrer, Agustí Figueras, Llàtzer Flores Garcia, Pedro Friesz, Emile-Othon Garay, Luis García Lorca, Federico García Maroto, Gabriel Gausachs Armengol, Josep Genover, Ignasi Gérardin, Marthe-Antoine Gernez, Paul-Élie Gilberto, Lluís Gimeno Arasa, Francesc Gimeno, Martí Gleizes, Albert Gol, Josep Maria Goller, Joseph Gómez dela Serna, Ramón Gómez, Helios González Sevilla Gosé Rovira, Xavier Gottlieb, Leopold Gris, Juan Grunhoff, Helene Guàrdia Esturí, Jaume Guarro, Joan Güell, Xavier Gusef, Kallinic Guyás, An Hayden, Henri Herbin, Auguste Hermann-Paul, René Georges Hoffmann, Robert Homs Ferrés, Elvira Humbert Esteve, Manel Jack, Georges (?)

Jernàs, Elsa Jönzen, Hadar Jou, Lluís Jujol, Josep Maria Junyer, Joan Kammerer, Ernst Labarta, Francesc Lagar, Celso Lagut, Irène Laprade, Pierre Laurencin, Marie Le Corbusier Le Fauconnier, Henri Léger, Fernand Leyde, Kurt Lhote, André Lipchitz, Jacques López Morella, Ramón Losada, Manuel Lotiron, Robert Maeztu, Gustavo de Malagarriga Ormat, Elvira Manguin, Henri Marchand, Jean Marès, Frederic Maristany de Trias, Luís Marquès Puig, Josep Maria Marquet, Albert Matilla Marina, Segunda Matisse, Henri Mercadé, Lluís Metzinger, Jean Mimó, Claudi Miret, Ramon Miró, Joan Mompou, Josep Moreau, Luc-Albert Moreno, Arturo Moya Ketterer, José Mutermilch, Mela Natali, Renato Nonell, Isidre Obiols Palau, Josep Olivé, Jacint Ortiz de Zárate, Manuel Öström, Folke Palau Oller, Josep Pascual Rodés, Ivo Pascual Vicent, J. Pérez Moro, Julio Picabia, Francis Picasso, Pablo Pichot Gironès, Ramon Planas, Pau Planells Cruañas, Àngel Portusach de Mascareñas, Josefina Prat Ubach, Pere Pretzfelder, Max Pujó, Josep Pujol Montané, Josep Pujol Ripoll, Josep Pujol, A. P. Pujols, Francesc R.de Pujulà, Germaine Ràfols Fontanals, Josep Francesc Ricart Nin, Enric Cristòfor Rincón, Vicente Rivera, Diego Roqueta, Ramon Roussel, Ker-Xavier Ruiz, Diego Rusiñol, Santiago Ruth Cahn, Fräulein Sermaise Perillard, Louis Severini, Gino Soucek, Slavi Store, Emili Sucre, Josep Maria del Sunyer, Joaquím Survage, Léopold Timm, Ernest Torné Esquius, Pere Torné, Trinitat Torres García, Joaquim Traz, Georges de Valtat, Louis Vallotton, Félix Vaño Van Dongen, Kees Van Rees, Otto Velásquez Cueto, Lola Vèrgez, Eduard Vila Pujol, Joan Vilà, Salvador Villà Bassols, Miquel Violet, Gustave Vives, Mario Vlaminck, Maurice Weber, Otto Xarraga, Angel Ysern Alié, Pere