Xavier Corberó facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Xavier Corberó
|
|
|---|---|
Corberó in 2011, during construction of his house in Esplugues de Llobregat
|
|
| Born | 13 June 1935 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
|
| Died | 24 April 2017 (aged 81) Sant Joan Despí, Catalonia, Spain
|
| Nationality | Spanish / Catalan |
Xavier Corberó i Olivella (born June 13, 1935 – died April 24, 2017) was a famous artist from Catalonia, Spain. He was best known for his large public sculptures and his amazing house complex near Barcelona. Many people thought he was one of the most important Catalan artists since Antoni Gaudí. He greatly influenced the art scene in Barcelona.
Contents
Corberó's Family History
Xavier Corberó's family came from Lleida, a city in Spain. His family had a long tradition of working with metal, especially bronze. His grandfather, Pere Corberó i Casals, was an artist and a businessman. He created a bronze memorial for the birthplace of the musician Enrique Granados. Pere also helped start an association for decorative arts in Barcelona, which later became the Design Museum of Barcelona.
The Corberó family had a workshop (called a foundry) that made sculptures for famous Catalan artists like Pablo Gargallo. They also made and sold bronze doors, chandeliers, and fountains.
Xavier's father, Xavier Corberó i Trepat, also worked in the family bronze workshop. He helped start the Escola Massana art school in Barcelona. During the Spanish Civil War, Xavier's father fought in the war. Xavier's mother, Montserrat, passed away in 1936.
Life and Education
Xavier Corberó grew up during the difficult times of the Spanish Civil War and the early years of Francoist Spain. In 1950, he started studying at the Escola Massana, the art school his father helped create.
In 1955, he lived for a short time in Paris and Stockholm. Then, he moved to London and studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts until 1959. He was the first Spanish student to attend this school. After that, he worked in Lausanne.
In the early 1960s, Corberó became friends with other artists in Barcelona. In 1962, he moved to New York City. There, he spent time with very famous artists like Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, and Man Ray. He moved back to Barcelona in the mid-1960s.
Back in Barcelona, he became close friends with Salvador Dalí, who he called his "first patron." He also befriended Joan Miró and other important artists. In the early 1970s, he even printed etchings for Miró and designed jewelry for Elsa Peretti. He also admired the landscape architect Russell Page. From the mid-1970s, he spent more time in New York, where he met artists like Claes Oldenburg and Richard Serra.
Corberó married actress Mary-Ann Bennett in 1958, and their daughter Ana Corberó was born in 1960. He later married Maria Luisa Tiffón in 1983. Xavier Corberó passed away in April 2017, when he was 81 years old. He was buried in Montjuïc Cemetery in Barcelona.
His Artworks
Corberó first showed his metal sculptures in 1955. He won awards for his art in Barcelona in 1960 and 1961. His first solo art show was in Munich in 1963, where he won a Gold Medal. He also had solo exhibitions in places like the Art Institute of Chicago (1964) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
You can see Corberó's large sculptures in many cities. These include Barcelona, London, Beirut, Dubai, and Chicago. His sculptures are also in museums around the world, such as the Meadows Museum in Dallas and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
While he was best known for his sculptures, Corberó also created fun drawings, abstract paintings, and poems in the Catalan language.
After Spain became a democracy again, Barcelona prepared for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Corberó helped convince his artist friends to donate large sculptures to the city. This helped make Barcelona more beautiful. Thanks to his efforts, famous artworks like Roy Lichtenstein's "El Cap de Barcelona" and Claes Oldenburg's "Matches" were placed around the city.
Corberó also designed the 1992 Olympic medals. He insisted that real gold be used for the first time in the Olympic medals. In 1992, he received the Creu de Sant Jordi Award for his work on Barcelona's public sculptures. In 2000, he became a member of the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi, a royal art academy.
The Espai Corberó
In 1968, Corberó started buying land in Esplugues de Llobregat, a suburb near Barcelona. He turned this land into a very special and detailed complex of spaces. Today, it is known as "Corberó's space" (Catalan: Espai Corberó).
While Corberó was alive, he used this property as his home. He also hosted other artists there. The large complex holds many of his artworks and personal collections. He kept building and adding to it until he passed away.
The Espai Corberó includes two old houses. Corberó restored one of them with help from architect Emilio Bofill. Corberó's unique house has been used as a background in movies, like Woody Allen's film Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2008. Another artist, Lluís Lleó, said the house was like "a self-portrait" of Corberó.
In 2022, it was announced that Corberó's family would sell the complex to the city of Esplugues. The city plans to use it as a cultural center.
Gallery
-
"Ejecutores y ejecutados", Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1973)
-
"Homage to the Mediterranean", Sóller Square, Barcelona (1983)
-
Monument to Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí, Gaudí Square, Barcelona (1983)
-
"La Barca del Barça", grounds of the FC Barcelona (1987)
-
"Columnes de Terme", Kennedy Square, Barcelona (1988)
-
"Allegory of life", Avinguda Diagonal, Barcelona (1988)
-
"King and Queen", UAB Campus, Sabadell (1988)
-
"The Broad Family", Broadgate, London (1991)
-
Monument to Josep Tarradellas, Tarradellas Avenue, Barcelona (1999)
-
"La Familia Vapor", Terrassa (2002)
-
"Dos artistas flamencas", Jardíns de Cap Roig in Calella de Palafrugell (2003)
-
"La Familia", Poblenou, Barcelona (2003)
-
"Trobada", Esplugues de Llobregat (2005)
_Recinte_de_la_Masia_del_FC_Barcelona,_Barcelona_(13671250184)_(2).jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Xavier Corberó para niños
