Villèlia, Moisès.
Works of the artist.
Moisès Villèlia was born in Barcelona in 1928. Since childhood, he had been involved in the world of decorative arts, due to his family’s involvement in the furniture restoration industry. In 1945, his dad opened his own workshop, where Villèlia worked for most of his youth as an apprentice, and later as an artisan. During this same period, he was very interested in Ruben’s and Nervo’s ro [+]
Villèlia, Moisès
Moisès Villèlia was born in Barcelona in 1928. Since childhood, he had been involved in the world of decorative arts, due to his family’s involvement in the furniture restoration industry. In 1945, his dad opened his own workshop, where Villèlia worked for most of his youth as an apprentice, and later as an artisan. During this same period, he was very interested in Ruben’s and Nervo’s romantic poetry, as well as Alberti’s and Neruda’s sculptures.
In 1950, he joined the army and served in Africa. There, he was introduced to avant-guard art for the first time. Four years later, he had his first solo exhibition at the Museu Municipal of Mataró, where he focused on destroying figuration. At the same time, he founded the artistic group, Art Actual. In 1956, he had the opportunity to participate in the IX Salon of October in Barcelona, where he displayed the only abstract sculpture of the show. The next year he exhibited again, but this time presenting his first cane sculpture.
Throughout these events, he was highly influenced by Joan Prats, who introduced him to the national and international world of art, and gave him the opportunity to join Club 49, a group of avant-guard artists in Catalonia. In 1960, he was selected to present his work at the first ever exhibition of the Museu d’Art Contemporani of Barcelona, while a year later, he founded FEDI (Foundation of Industrial Design).
At the end of the 60s, his artistic identity underwent a significant change. He moved to Paris for some time, and right after to Argentina and Ecuador. He also began to abandon his most used materials: wood, fibrocement, concrete, metals, and polyester. However, during his stay in Ecuador, he started to study bamboo, a material that would later become the most emblematic of his career.
The following years after his travels, remain Villèlia’s most productive. His works illustrated a striking juxtaposition of natural materials, wielded by the artists without taming their wild essence. This allowed for the organic and abstract forms to be projected in space, creating a unique visual experience.
Throughout his career, he had a significant presence in the national artistic landscape, exhibiting at the most important museums. Nowadays, his work is part of both public and private collections, including those housed at Barcelona’s MACBA and Fundació Miró, New York’s Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Valencia\'s IVAM.
