TONI CATANY, AT THE HEART OF HIS WORKS
26.03.20 – 07.05.20
We are pleased to present the exhibition Toni Catany, At the heart of his works , which will open on March 26. Toni Catany (Llucmajor, 1942 – Barcelona, 2013) developed and perfected his artistic singularity in the 1980s by merging his emotions and enchantments with the subtle language of flowers. He created still lifes in color, which made him a master of the genre and which, thanks to the book published by Lunwerg in 1987, made him known to the general public. He integrated his tastes for glassware, pottery, various precious or ordinary objects gleaned from markets or antique dealers.
The end of the harsh Franco dictatorship (1975) and the crumbling of censorship allowed Catany to emancipate himself, to integrate suggestive male nudes into his creative universe. He excelled in extracting them from any decor, adorning their anatomy with his luminous alchemy and making them timeless.
From 1994 onwards, Catany also produced portraits that he transferred during the printing onto 100% cotton paper. Due to this method of operation, they result as much from the shooting as from the laboratory interventions that allow him to appropriate them, to shape them, to project them into a suspended time.
More than 120 personal exhibitions testified to the know-how and aesthetic palette of the demiurge. Named Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in France in 1991, Toni Catany received the National Photography Prize in Spain in 2001.
*Extracts from a text written by Pierre Borhan
–
We are pleased to invite you to discover the exhibition Toni Catany, At the Heart of his Work starting on March 26th . Toni Catany (Llucmajor 1942 – Barcelona 2013) developed and perfected his artistic singularity in the 1980s by fusing his emotions and enchantments with the subtle language of flowers. He brought forth still life images in color, which confirmed him as a master of the genre and which, thanks to a book published by Lunwerg in 1987, brought him to the attention of the public at large. He infused these works with his appreciation of all forms of glass, pottery and assorted precious or ordinary objects discovered at markets or in antique shops.
The end of the Franco dictatorship (1975) and the easing of censorship allowed Catany to break free and to introduce suggestive male nudes into his creative universe. He excelled at isolating them from their surroundings and, through personal alchemy, illuminating their bodies in a way that rendered them timeless, he transformed them, gifting them with a magical eternity.
From 1994, Catany produced portraits which he transferred during printing onto 100 percent cotton paper. The process of photography (fixing the look and presence of a model), together with manipulations in the laboratory gave the images a special quality which could be appropriated, modeled and projected into time in suspension.
More than 120 personal exhibitions demonstrated this creator's expertise and his aesthetic palette. Honored as a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in France in 1991, Toni Catany received Spain's National Photography Prize in 2001.
* Text written by Pierre Borhan.