Last Wednesday, 3 May, the art exhibition ‘Perspectives. Art of the 19th and 20th century’ was inaugurated in the UIC Barcelona Saló de Graus. The exhibition includes a selection of the works that make up the University’s art collection, acquired over the last 25 years. The inauguration ceremony was attended by curators, artists, and representatives of the UIC Barcelona university community.

The vice-rector of the University Community, Esther Jiménez López, was in charge of opening the exhibition and introduced Judith Urbano, dean of the Faculty of Humanities, who spoke briefly about the most significant works selected for the exhibition.

The guests could enjoy the first-hand explanation by artists Esteve Casanoves and Josep Lluís Xuclà, who attended the event. Painter and sculptor Casanoves explained how for his work Leaning House, he used different visual techniques so that the viewer would perceive the three-dimensionality of the painting, constructing a different image in each mind. Xuclà, creator of the work Books, explained how he was commissioned by the University, and his aim was to capture in diptych form a series of books with a minimalist feel that would preserve the harmony between the two parts of the painting.

Paintings such as the Male Study or Portrait of Grandfather, by Marià Fortuny also form part of a collection that includes over 60 pieces that illustrate and identify offices, rooms and different spaces of the University. Fortuny is considered by many art historians to be the most important Spanish artist of the nineteenth century after Goya, having enjoyed international recognition for his paintings during his lifetime. 

Josep Espot, the first administrator of UIC Barcelona, was present at the inauguration and shared his memories of how the art collection was initiated by Ramón Guardans, head of the Board of Trustees until 1998. 

The collection was born in 1997, and with the support of the university Board of Trustees and a group of art dealers, critics and cultural agents, the criteria for the selection and acquisition of the works were defined. The aim of the collection was to contribute to the cultural enrichment of the university community of UIC Barcelona.