PERE JOU FRANCISCO (Barcelona 1891 - Sitges, 1964).
"Prou", 1939.
Bronze sculpture on marble base.
Signed on the base.
The base has slight cracks in the corners.
Measurements: 39 x 12 x 13,5 cm.
Pere Jou was a well-known Catalan sculptor, intimately related to the town of Sitges where he left an important sample of his work. From a young age he combined his work as a sculptor with that of a carpenter and cabinetmaker. He studied at the Ateneo Obrero de Gracia, where he was a disciple of Pablo Gargallo, who recognised his talent and reinforced it by giving him the opportunity to participate in the impressive sculptural work at the Hospital de Sant Pau. At the age of twenty-five, the painter Miquel Utrillo chose him as the sculptor for the decoration of the Maricel Palace that the millionaire Charles Deering was building in Sitges. Jou created more than fifty capitals, lintels and other decorative elements, all richly carved with images taken from famous fables, as well as contemporary events and characters whose faces were inspired by his work colleagues or local people. In 1931 he held his first individual exhibition at the Galeries Laietanes in Barcelona. After the Civil War he devoted himself mainly to the restoration of religious imagery damaged during the conflict and later devoted himself to teaching at the Massana School in Barcelona. His most famous works are the alabaster columns that flank the throne of the Virgin of Montserrat.