The Museu de Valls in Valls opened its doors on Saturday, 5 April, to the first retrospective exhibition dedicated to Manuel Humbert, considered one of Spain's finest 20th-century painters. Titled "Manuel Humbert. The Angel of Noucentisme", the exhibition features nearly 90 pieces and was organised jointly by the Museu de Valls and the Museu Abelló in Mollet del Vallès.
The show marks the 50th anniversary of Humbert's death and is the central event of this commemoration, promoted by the Rafael Benet Foundation. It has received support from the National Art Museum of Catalonia and the European Institute of the Mediterranean. Philosopher Francesc Pujols described Manuel Humbert Esteve (Barcelona 1890-1975) as "the angelic painter of our beloved painting".
Humbert was a prominent representative of Noucentisme, a movement with European aspirations and Mediterranean roots. He explored all techniques and was open to the pictorial subjects offered by reality. His aesthetic not only reflects high artistic quality but also an ethical commitment, presenting reality, however simple, as something wonderful. The painter, poet, and art critic Rafael Santos Torroella saw in his work "reality saved by beauty, in an intimate and everyday way."
Humbert's International Career
Manuel Humbert maintained studios in Paris, where he trained as a painter, and in Barcelona for most of his life. He was very active in Montparnasse circles from 1909 to 1927, forming a close friendship with Amedeo Modigliani, who painted two portraits of him. Rafael Benet called him "the messenger of Paris."
In 1934, Humbert was awarded the first Nonell Prize, the highest recognition given by the Republican Generalitat. In 1953, he won the Grand Prize for Watercolour Painting at the II Hispano-American Art Biennial held in Havana, Cuba. He was considered a master by critics and by many young artists whom he supported through the Cercle Mallol of the French Institute.
Key Works and Exhibition Structure
The exhibition, curated by Lluís Boada, displays most of Humbert's key works. The pieces come from around 20 different public and private collections across Catalonia. The National Art Museum of Catalonia and the Museu de Valls, the two public institutions with the most works by the artist, have contributed a significant number of paintings.
The show is structured into three main periods that trace his personal and artistic journey. The first is titled "A European Draughtsman and the School of Paris"; the second, "Return to Barcelona, the Republic and Triumph"; and the third, "The Time of Wars, Long Resistance and a New Atmosphere." Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the artist's death and the exhibition, the monograph L'àngel del Noucentisme. Vida i obra del pintor Manuel Humbert by Lluís Boada has been published by Cossetània Edicions.
The Manuel Humbert exhibition will remain at the Museu de Valls until 26 June this year. Following its run in Valls, the collection will travel to the Museu Abelló in Mollet del Vallès.
