The Life and Training of Romà Vallès

Romà Vallès was a Spanish painter born in Barcelona in 1923. His formal training concluded in 1950 when he earned a Degree in Fine Arts. This academic foundation preceded a prolific career that spanned several decades, marked by a constant presence in the Spanish art scene. He did not wait long to establish himself, holding his first individual exhibition at Sala Fernando Fe in Madrid in 1955.

The scale of his professional activity is measurable through his exhibition history. Vallès participated in over 345 exhibitions in total, which included 85 individual shows. This volume of work reflects a persistent engagement with the evolving landscape of Catalan art. He remained active until his death in 2015.

Evolution of Artistic Style and Technique

Vallès did not experience a sudden rupture with figuration; instead, his transition toward abstraction was a calculated investigation into the limits of the medium. By the late 1940s, he was already experimenting with grattage, using the technique to manipulate surface textures within his compositions. This early interest in material manipulation set the stage for his full immersion into abstraction in 1956. He became a central figure in Catalan Informalism, moving beyond mere shape to focus on the physical reality of the paint itself.

His technical approach was defined by a strong gestural vocation. Unlike the more earth-toned palettes often associated with his contemporaries, Vallès utilized a varied color range that emphasized the trace of the artist's hand. He moved fluidly between drawing, photography, and painting on paper, often treating the surface as a site of physical confrontation. His work frequently integrated collage, incorporating newspaper clippings and photographic fragments to bridge the gap between everyday reality and pure abstraction. This method allowed him to explore signic informalism, where the mark and the sign become the primary subjects of the work.

Major Artistic Series and Periods

Vallès’s career is defined by a relentless investigation into the limits of the pictorial surface. Between 1956 and 1963, his Cosmogonies series marked a decisive break from figuration, establishing his presence within the informalist movement. During this period, the work shifted toward a focus on matter and the physical tension of the surface. This was followed by a distinct phase from 1964 to 1966, where he utilized Collages to incorporate newspaper clippings and photographs. This era introduced a dialogue between the painted surface and the fragments of everyday reality.

The later decades of his production continued this rigorous exploration through specific thematic cycles. He produced the Cuatro elementos series between 1978 and 1982, followed by the Serie Signos from 1982 to 1986. These works demonstrate a sustained commitment to abstraction and gestural expression. His final significant period, the Heràclit series, spanned from 2005 to 2015, reflecting on the concept of constant change through the lens of presocratic philosophy.

• Untitled (about 1975)

Legacy and Collections of His Work

The preservation of Romà Vallès's output relies on a structured network of institutional holdings and dedicated family stewardship. His legacy is anchored by a significant deposit at the Fundación Antigua Caja de Terrassa, which contains 680 works and documents. This collection remains a primary site for the study of his creative process. Beyond this central repository, his paintings are held in the Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer in Viladecans. These locations ensure that his physical contributions to Catalan abstraction remain accessible for research and institutional study.

Exhibition history continues to define his presence in the contemporary landscape. The Fundació Vila Casas has organized major retrospectives to re-examine his trajectory, while the Espai Volart in Barcelona hosted a significant exhibition in 2012. These displays have been curated by his daughters, Bel Vallès and Isabel Vallès, who manage the presentation of his visual history. This direct involvement ensures that the specific nuances of his experimentation with collage, drawing, and photography are maintained through professional curation.