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Marlborough Barcelona presents El bell viatge, an essential journey that celebrates the fifty years of Riera i Aragó’s career.

As a result of a total vocation, in addition to a difficult personal situation caused by the political circumstances that existed fifty years ago, Josep Maria Riera i Aragó created the works that would make up his first exhibition in 1973, when he was 18 years old. Today, five decades later, we celebrate the beginning of this journey with a very special exhibition that brings together a group of works that the artist, for different reasons, has kept throughout his 50-year career.

El bell viatge takes us on a journey through five decades, where we find the different materials, techniques and supports that Riera i Aragó has used to create his airplanes, submarines and different artifacts. Although the reference to the machine seems to be the main character, these figures actually go much further, as Vicenç Altaió points out in the text of the catalog:

“I like it when Riera i Aragó says that the pair of technological artifacts comes from the schematic sign of a man and a woman placed horizontally. From standing to the recumbent body and its soul transformation. The artist thus began his work by creating an iconicity of figurative signs, they are schematic drawings until by reduction and personalization the airplane, a body that rises, becomes the first letter of the alphabet”.

Josep Maria Riera i Aragó (Barcelona, 1954) enters the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona in 1973. During the 80's he discovers his interest in the ocean depths and the sky as places to explore, either through submarines, zeppelins or airplanes. It is during this period that he will begin to produce works using scrapped ships and propellers will be increasingly present in his works. Each country he visits, be it Morocco, Japan or Australia, inspires him to grow as an artist by experimenting with new creative techniques.

The recognition of this Catalan artist is tangible in the many international exhibitions that have been dedicated to his work. Some solo exhibitions in galleries and museums include the Städtische Museen in Heilbronn and the Art Center Berlin Friedrischstrasse (Germany); the Fondation Van Gogh in Arles (France) or the PMMK Museum vor Moderne Kunst in Oostende (Belgium). The exhibition Riera i Aragó, Aguafuertes, a selection of more than 60 etchings, was exhibited in 2012 at the Cervantes Institute in several European cities.

Riera i Aragó's work is part of a large number of collections, such as the Barcelona City Council; Can Framis, Vilacasas Foundation; Can Mario, Vilacasas Foundation; Institut d’Estudis Catalans Collection; Institute of North American Studies Collection; Testimonio Collection. “La Caixa” Foundation; Bassat Collection of Contemporary Art; Olor Visual Collection; Pere Serra Collection; Pere Serra Collection, Soller, (Majorca); Rega Collection, Zürich (Switzerland); Collectie NOG Van Het. SNS Reaal Fonds (Netherlands); Fondation Vincent Van Gogh, Arles (France) ; Avui newspaper art collection; Joan Miró Foundation; Perramón de Ventalló Contemporary Art Foundation; Fran Daurel Foundation; La Caixa Foundation, Cap Roig Gardens; Museum of Contemporary Art, MACBA; Musée d'Art Moderne André Malraux, MuMa Le Havre (France); Musée d’Art Moderne (Luxemburg); Musée d’Art Moderne of Céret (France); Musée de Colliure (France); Musée Réattu, Arles (France); Union Fenosa Museum of Contemporary Art; Girona City History Museum; Museum Otani, Nishinomiya (Japan); Nishinomiya Hall, Nishinomiya City Hall (Japan); Reflex Museum, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Städtische Museen, Heilbronn (Germany) and The Boeing Company, Chicago (United States).

Some of his best known public works include: Submarí soterrat, Hiroshima Gardens, Barcelona; Baix-relleu, La Rambla; Municipal Building, Barcelona; Gran submarí tou, Santander; Gran avió amb groc, Figueras; Avió cansat, Merignac (France); Avió Najio, Nishinomiya (Japan); Baix-relleu at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona; Baix-relleu at the Ramón Llull, Blanquerna Faculty of Media and Communication Sciences, Barcelona; Arals, Mesen (Belgium) and Arals Turf, Roosendaal (Netherlands).