BIOGRAPHY
Modest Gené was an artist in a lot of ways (painting, drawing, sculpture...) but most of all he made sculpture. He was born in Reus, and reconized world wide his works of art are all over the world but lots of us don't know or haven't heared of him. This is why her daughter doesn't want to forget him.
Gené's work has different phases that show actual reality with divesrity: the works done in Reus and in Catalonia where we can find religious, folkoric, monumentic images and private work for important people it reflects the period and surroundings of the artist. His period in Spain and north of Africa to finish with his period in Spanish Guinea where the afrcan world gave life to Gené's work.
We detail some of his biography and we offer some bibliography, webgraphy and videos of the sculptor to give more information about the artist.
He was born in Reus ( “Puríssima Sang” Square) on 5th of November 1914. In 1932, being only eighteen and being student at “L’Escola del Treball de Reus” he made one medal with Francesc Macià’s effigy who was the President of the Catalan Generalitat at that moment. “1932” was also the year of his first exhibition in Reus.
He continues his education in Barcelona, first with the teacher “Barrau” and later and thanks to a grant givent by the City Hall of Reus he could do the estudies of “Bellas Artes” during two years.
In 1935 he won an a competitive that allowed him to sculpt in stone the shield of the city of Reus on the facade of the city hall building.
In 1936 he won an competitive of “la Bolsa de Viaje de fin de Carrera” and with this grant he started a studies travel trought Spain. Thanks to this he met the Valencia, Andalucia and Castellana” the schools influenced later his artistic trajectory.
Because of the Civil War he had to stop his study tour, staying in Seville longer than he wanted. In Seville he also met who would be his wife: Matilde Gomez Calcerrada. When the Civil War finished, he continued with Matilde his study tour to Madrid, Valladolid, Segovia... and extended his knowledge of the Castilian school.
Since October, 1939 he moved his study to Reus later shared with Barcelona. It realized several orders, monumental and religious, both for his city and for the parishes of cogo shopping of Tarragona (maker of religious images in the style of the XVIIIth century) They emphasize the steps of Holy Week and also remarkable the individuals' busts - portraits so much of other dignities, as the people of the world artísric, politician, scientist, TV/radio commercial...
In 1942 he won the prize called “Escultura del Salón de Otoño” (Sculpture of Saloon of Autum)
In 1944 he founded the “Círculo Artístico de Reus” (Artistic Circle of Reus) in which he was the president to spend the knowledge of the nude human body to new artists.
In 1946 he was named “Socio de Mértio de la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Madrid.” He was awarded with “Mención Honorífica en el Cértamen Medalla Julio Antonio de Tarragona.” (Honorable Mention Medal in the Contest “Julio Antonio” de Tarragona.)
In 1947 he moved his workshop and made different sculptures for Reus as well as the “NANOS” of Reus ( “capgrossos”) that represened the Catalano- Aragonesa Crown, (four pairs) In 1948-1957 he worked in the reconstruction of the Poblet Monastery. He had made different exhibitions in Spain and Morrocco. The Line of Conception gave him aN award called “Cruz Herrera”. It was requested his participation in juries and governmental commissions he made busts of kings and presidents of the different states. In the “Centre de Lectura” i l'Escola de Treball of Reus he gave lessons of modeling, anatomy, line art and ceramic during more than a decade.
In 1951 and 1954 his staying in Morocco caused him a change in his direction and introduced him in the Arabian world with a new artistic conception. He had exhibitions in Ceuta, Tànger and Tetuan. To Modest the African Continent was attractive to develop his artistic knowledge from the study of people's clothes, to the factions of the characters, that sculptural compositions...
In 1953 he was mentioned him “Socio de Honor del Museo de Arte de Madrid”. This year won the “Premi extraordinario Cruz Herrera” of the line of the “Concepción”. In 1954 award to “Medalla Julio Antonio” of the Diputació of Tarragona.
In 1956 he was give Scholarship of artistic travels to diferent European contries: France, and Belgium in 1957 and Spanish Guinea.
In December 1957 thanks to a grant awarded by the Institute for “Scientific Research in Madrid” came to Spanish Guinea and three year he was study forms and native customs and earned various awards i “Medal of Honor in Africa in 1961”. That same year, made the exhibition-tribute to its production both in Madrid and Reus.
In 1962 a Foundation Scholarship Mach Mdrid Joan returned to Spanish Guinea event i because politicians there in 1969 found himself trapped in the country for 10 years without being able to return.
These years in Guinea he gave lessons of drawing and artictic paintingin the Institute and the School of Education and got permission to create the Polytechnic Instiute in the city of Bata which, was called “Modest Gené” Polytechnic Institute.
The African figurative work that he did there was a lot and varied, full of great nuance in the physical features in the clothes...;His African works was a nameless production. There is also a copious pictorial, with a technique created by him giving qualitie of enamel to oil paint. Have got orders of captains and of the royalty from countries such as England, Morocco, Spain, France, Cameroon, Gabon, Cape Verde, Principe Island ...
In 1980-81 a retrospective exhibition of his workswas done at the Centre de Lectura de Reus in which Ms. Gene gave to his intitution a work of the African collection called “Portador de Cocos” destinated to a future art museum.