Antoni García Lamolla – Family Portrait, Circa 1941

Antoni García Lamolla (1910–1981)
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated upper right
Circa 1941 – French exile period, Dreux

A rare and moving painting by Antoni García Lamolla, a leading figure of the Catalan avant-garde and Surrealism, created in the early 1940s during the first years of his exile in France.

The composition depicts a couple accompanied by a very young child. In a silent and almost surreal atmosphere, the three figures appear closely united, bathed in a cold, subdued light. The faces, deliberately stripped of any anecdotal detail, seem to emerge from a blue-gray space, lending the entire work a deeply introspective quality.

This work belongs to a particularly unique period in Lamolla’s career. Born in Barcelona in 1910 and closely tied to Lleida, the artist established himself in the 1930s as one of the leading figures of Catalan Surrealism. In particular, he participated in the Logicofobista movement and the activities of ADLAN, alongside several major artists of the Spanish avant-garde.

The Spanish Civil War brought this rise to a sudden halt. A staunch supporter of the Republican cause, Lamolla left Spain in 1939 during the Retirada. After being interned in French camps, he settled in Dreux, where he would remain until his death in 1981. It was against this backdrop of exile that his pictorial language gradually evolved toward a darker, more expressionistic, and deeply introspective style of painting. Sources dedicated to the artist describe this period as one of true “tragic expressionism,” marked by dark tones and a strong spiritual dimension.

The family context gives this work a special resonance. Lamolla and his partner Fidela González Cepero settled in Dreux after the Spanish Civil War; their first son, Andreu, was born in 1939. Several works created in Dreux bear witness to this intimate period in the painter’s life. In particular, it is known that Fidela likely served as the model forMusic, painted in Dreux in 1945, a work that is now in a private collection after having been featured in an exhibition dedicated to Lamolla.

It is therefore tempting to view this painting as a depiction of the artist’s family circle—perhaps Lamolla himself, Fidela, and their young child. This identification, which is appealing given the biographical context and the date of the work, remains, however, a hypothesis that would need to be confirmed by family archives or historical documentation.

The painting thus offers a particularly poignant account of Lamolla’s time in France, when the experience of war, exile, and the rebuilding of his family profoundly transformed his artistic expression.

The Jaume Morera Art Museum in Lleida now houses a significant collection dedicated to Lamolla. A substantial portion of this collection comes directly from the artist’s family, who donated several works to the museum in 2005. A major retrospective dedicated to Lamolla was also organized there in 2010.

A work that is rare in its subject matter and particularly endearing for its intimate nature, offering a glimpse into one of the most deeply moving episodes in the life of a major artist of the Catalan avant-garde.

Details

Artist: Antoni García Lamolla
Born: Barcelona, 1910
Died: Dreux, France, 1981
Date: circa 1941
Probable location: Dreux, France
Medium: oil on canvas
Signature: signed and dated in the upper right corner
Subject: couple and child—likely the artist’s family
Condition: good overall condition; original frame has two chips