Sherlock Holmes, 1989

Joan Brossa   Famous Artists

Born in Barcelona in 1919, Joan Brossa was a Spanish artist. Poet, author, illustrator and plastic artist, he is a key figure in Catalan culture.

Joan Brossa had multiple sources of inspiration, including his friendships with the great artists of the period: Joan Miro, Joan Prats, Melo Neto, Antoni Tapies, Eduardo Chillida and more.

At just 18 years of age, Joan Brossa was enlisted in the army to fight on the Republican side. The Spanish civil war left him with physical and psychological scars which had a huge effect on his artistic identity.
As a well-known Catalan artist, he has been translated into more than 15 languages. Joan Brossa pays particular attention to form which he feels takes precedence over content. This preference doesn’t stop him from making his art a vehicle for a political message.
A talented visual poet, he is also an unparalleled illustrator with a minimalist, satirical and ironic style. He was one of the first Europeans to try “anti-poetry”.


Joan Brossa died in Barcelona in 1998.