The exhibition at the Casacuberta Marsans shows 700 years of Catalan art and presents an important collection of old frames

Museus de Sitges exhibits in the recovered Sala Vaixells of the Palau de Maricel a selection from one of the most important private collections in Catalonia, the Casacuberta Marsans. This is the first time that a set of the outstanding works in this collection – which spans from Gothic to Modern Art – has been shown to the public.

The framed figure. Singular Works from the Casacuberta Marsans Collection has twopoints of attention: on the one hand, the set of twenty paintings on display; and, on the other, the decisive role that frames acquire, not as companions to paintings, but as a fundamental part of the work of art. The title of the exhibition (The Framed Figure) responds, precisely, to this crucial role of the frame as an integral piece of the work or, in fact, as a work of art in itself.

The exhibition is curated by Nadia Hernández, art historian and curator of collections, and Ignasi Domènech, head of Collections at Museums of Sitges, and can be seen in the Sala Vaixells of the Palau de Maricel until September 29th, which is coming back to life as a space for temporary exhibitions of the Museums of Sitges. The collection – promoted by Fernando Casacuberta and Coty Marsans – is presented to the public for the first time thanks to the generous collaboration of its owners, who plan to open a museum soon in Barcelona. 

The paintings on display. The selection of works covers a wide chronological framework, ranging from the Gothic to the Hispanic painting of the late nineteenth century and the first third of the twentieth century. There are 21 paintings with prominent names in the history of art in Catalonia: from Jaume Serra to Francesc Gimeno, including Lluís Borrassà, Alonso Cano, Andrea Vaccaro, Ignacio Zuloaga, Pablo Gargallo and Hermén Anglada - Camarasa (see full list at the end of this text). The selection of the works on display allows us to make a careful and select journey through 700 years of history of Catalan painting.

The Casacuberta Marsans Collection is made up of nearly 200 works, including paintings, sculptures and object arts. Most of the works are medieval art from the Crown of Aragon and painting from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. At the last edition of the Art Market, Collecting and Museums Conference, held last October, organized by Museus de Sitges, Casacuberta Marsans was one of the most important  speakers.

The paintings on display. The selection of works covers a wide chronological framework, ranging from the Gothic to the Hispanic painting of the late nineteenth century and the first third of the twentieth century. There are 21 paintings with prominent names in the history of art in Catalonia: from Jaume Serra to Francesc Gimeno, including Lluís Borrassà, Alonso Cano, Andrea Vaccaro, Ignacio Zuloaga, Pablo Gargallo and Hermén Anglada - Camarasa (see full list at the end of this text). The selection of the works on display allows us to make a careful and select journey through 700 years of history of Catalan painting.

The paintings on display. The selection of works covers a wide chronological framework, ranging from the Gothic to the Hispanic painting of the late nineteenth century and the first third of the twentieth century. There are 21 paintings with prominent names in the history of art in Catalonia: from Jaume Serra to Francesc Gimeno, including Lluís Borrassà, Alonso Cano, Andrea Vaccaro, Ignacio Zuloaga, Pablo Gargallo and Hermén Anglada - Camarasa (see full list at the end of this text). The selection of the works on display allows us to make a careful and select journey through 700 years of history of Catalan painting.

The frames on display. In addition to the collection of paintings on display, the exhibition The Framed Figure. Singular Works from the Casacuberta Marsans Collection has another outstanding value: the importance given to the frame as a work of art. All the paintings on display are framed with pieces of remarkable artistic, heritage and historical value. But in addition, the exhibition presents about thirty frames exhibited as works of art, without any other accompaniment.

The valorization of the framework from an artistic and heritage perspective has been a prominent element in art history studies in recent years. This thesis is based on considering the frame as an object that is built with the will, not only to give solidity and protect or dress the work, but also as a piece that transmits aesthetic values of the period in which it was created and that allows a dialogue to be established with the surrounding painting. In this sense, museums such as the Louvre and the Prado have recently begun work to enhance their old frames, which has also taken the form of the creation of monographic exhibition spaces and signposted routes of the most significant frames.

The Casacuberta Marsans Collection stands out, in addition to the value of its works, for the search for important antique frames to present its paintings. The collection brings together a significant number of high-quality period frames in an original way. The research and adaptation work has been carried out by the expert in this field Horacio Pérez-Hita, considered the leading specialist in the field in Spain.

The exhibition catalogue also includes an article by Ignasi Domènech, entitled Ancient and Modern Frames in the Santiago Rusiñol Collection, which revolves around the value that the Lord of the Cau already placed on these pieces. The article underlines that "the Cau Ferrat in Sitges, the space where Santiago Rusiñol presented his collections from 1894 onwards, is a true catalogue and manifesto of the painter's affections and obsessions. In this small chamber of wonders where each work and each object struggles to make a place for itself, there is an element that is surprising: the choice of frames ...