Barcelona is preparing for a wave of events to mark the centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death, who died on 10 June 1926 after being hit by a tram. In the lead-up to this, a permanent exhibition in the Eixample district offers a timely look at the city through the eyes of artist Ricard Opisso (1880-1966).
Hotelier, patron, and Egyptologist Jordi Clos displays around 500 of Opisso's works on the ground floor of the Hotel Astoria. This collection provides a window into Barcelona a century ago, offering insights that even photographic archives from the same period sometimes miss, according to reports.
The exhibition is particularly relevant now because Opisso famously "sent Gaudí to hell", a strong expression that reflects his decision to leave the architect's employ. Clos, known for his Egyptology museum on Carrer de València, began collecting Opisso's work in the mid-1960s, acquiring his first piece from the artist's son.
Opisso's View of Old Barcelona
Before Gaudí's death in 1926, photographs rarely captured the true atmosphere of Barcelona. Photography was not widely accessible, and influential photographers like Joan Colom and Francesc Català Roca, who excelled at depicting the local 'zeitgeist', were not born until the early 1920s. Opisso filled this gap, documenting the city's character through his drawings.
In 1928, journalist Màrius Aguilar reviewed a retrospective exhibition of Opisso's work. He wrote: "When in times to come people want to know the Barcelona of today, they will have to consult Opisso's very Barcelonan drawings, just as today, to know, for example, the France of the Revolution, we consult the engravings and drawings of Duplessis-Bertaux, Moreu the younger, Cochin, Boilly, Sant-Aubil, Graveloy and Watteau de Lille." This prediction alone, according to El Periódico Barcelona, makes Clos's collection worth visiting today, especially with the Gaudí centenary approaching.
Opisso moved to Barcelona from Tarragona at the age of two. He showed early talent for drawing but was a poor student. At six, his uncle Pepe took him to the popular Edén Concert cabaret on what is now Carrer Nou de la Rambla. By seven, he was drawing the performers' thighs from memory, much to his mother's dismay.
Working with Gaudí and the Break
At 12, Opisso's father found him a job as an assistant to Gaudí at the Sagrada Família. This apprenticeship lasted 11 years. During his time at the temple, Opisso would capture lizards and birds to be used as models for sculptures. He even posed for one of the angels on the Nativity Façade, covered in plaster, a process he barely survived.
Outside of work, Opisso explored Barcelona's bohemian side, frequenting the city's less reputable establishments. He also started building relationships with artists who gathered at Els Quatre Gats, with Miquel Utrillo acting as an ambassador. His drawing talent was so clear that Pablo Picasso, whom Opisso met and drew several times in Paris, advised him to "send Gaudí and the Sagrada Família to hell" if he wanted to save his soul.
Opisso eventually took this advice. His son recounted the incident that led to the break. Gaudí gave Opisso money for cabin tickets to Palma de Mallorca, wanting him to assist with details for the island's cathedral stained-glass windows. Opisso asked if he should also book rooms in a guesthouse or hotel. Gaudí replied that they would stay at the bishop's house. Opisso returned the money to Gaudí, ending their working relationship.
A Rich and Varied Collection
Although Opisso later drew Gaudí after his death, Clos chose not to acquire that particular work for his collection, feeling it would not fit. The Hotel Astoria exhibition features a rich and varied selection of Opisso's art. Clos notes that Opisso often paid for meals with a quick drawing.
The collection includes caricatures published in satirical magazines of the era, portraits of acquaintances (he got along better with Toulouse-Lautrec in Paris than with Picasso), genre scenes, and crowded postcards. The latter was a clever move, as the editor of L'Esquella de la Torratxa paid per character drawn. In essence, the exhibition offers a high-definition X-ray of Barcelona in Opisso's time, showing its more rebellious than pious side.
Among the hundreds of works, about half a dozen are covered with warnings, similar to those found on Instagram for sensitive content. Opisso once received an offer to create more explicit art, which he accepted. Clos has installed a door over these particular paintings, inviting viewers to enter "freely, of their own will," echoing a line from Bram Stoker's Dracula.
This voluptuous streak was often present in Opisso's other works, perhaps a lasting influence from his childhood visits to the Edén Concert with his uncle. Art critic Josep Maria Cadena, who studied Opisso's work, recounted a remarkable anecdote from the Sant Antoni Sunday book market. A man once bought an old issue of Papitu, a publication Opisso contributed to, specifically for one of his drawings. After a failed attempt to haggle, he paid the asking price, then tore the magazine into a thousand pieces in front of the vendor. He declared he would return the following Sunday to buy another, with the same intention. This was his self-imposed penance, as Opisso's drawings of women made him "sin in thought."
This exhibition allows visitors to engage with Opisso's unique perspective on Barcelona and his unconventional life, offering a different lens through which to view the city's history during Gaudí's centenary.
