El Vendrell has launched a two-year programme of events to celebrate the centenary of Nicole Florensa, an artist and cultural promoter who was instrumental in establishing the Apel·les Fenosa Foundation. The centenary was presented at the Fundació Fenosa's blue porch, with attendees including El Vendrell's mayor and Fundació Fenosa president, Kenneth Martínez; Fundació Fenosa director, Nekane Aramburu; fourth vice-president of the Tarragona Provincial Council, Marta Ventura; and El Vendrell Radio and Television manager, Josep Escaño.
Florensa, born Nicole Damotte in 1926, adopted her husband's maternal surname, Florensa, as her artistic name after their marriage in 1948. She dedicated herself to safeguarding the heritage of her husband, the sculptor Apel·les Fenosa, one of Catalonia's most important 20th-century artists. Beyond her work with the foundation, Florensa was an artist in her own right, focusing on engraving, painting, and photography, often inspired by nature.
Her strong will left a significant cultural legacy, particularly in Tarragona, where the foundation is housed in a Renaissance palace. This location has become a unique international cultural hub. Florensa's simple lifestyle, deeply involved in the art world and respecting environmental sustainability, is reflected in her work with nature and her appreciation for Catalan culture.
Centenary Activities Announced
The centenary programme, supported by the Fundació Fenosa's patron institutions, El Vendrell Radio and Television, and a grant from the Catalan government, includes a range of activities throughout 2026 and 2027. The first events include the opening of a photography competition on 6 May 2026, in collaboration with El Vendrell Radio and Television, seeking images of Florensa in El Vendrell and Sant Vicenç de Calders.
An exhibition titled 'Rodoreda and Fenosa: Displaced (solidarity and resilience in a timeless loop)' will open on 24 April 2026. This will be followed by 'Autour. The Habitats of Nicole Florensa' at the Palau Bofarull in Reus on 8 May. A combined visit to Palau Bofarull and the Apel·les Fenosa Museum in El Vendrell is scheduled for 30 May.
Environmental sustainability activities, 'Nicole's Fabrics', will start on 26 June with a project meeting in mediation with Drap Art. A book about Nicole by Josep Miquel García will be presented on 24 September in El Vendrell and Barcelona. On 26 September, the exhibition 'Hors du Temps. Nicole' will open at the Apel·les Fenosa Museum, alongside the presentation of the photography competition results and a concert featuring a new composition dedicated to Nicole.
Digital Archives and Future Exhibitions
Further events include the presentation of digitised notebooks at the Centre d'Études Catalanes in Paris on 2 October. The second part of the environmental sustainability activity, 'Nicole's Fabrics' workshop, will take place on 29 November. In 2027, the 'After Arkadia' exhibition will open at the Apel·les Fenosa Museum on 6 March, and a documentary about Nicole Florensa, produced with El Vendrell Radio and Television, will premiere in May.
Nicole Florensa's connection to Catalonia extended beyond summer visits to El Vendrell; she embraced her husband's culture and language, marked by his exile after the Spanish Civil War. After Fenosa's death in 1988, she focused on establishing the foundation, meticulously cataloguing his work. Florensa died in Paris in 2012, but her vision ensures the Apel·les Fenosa Foundation remains a vibrant cultural centre with international reach.
