Moulin De La Galette Interior (1890-1891)

Ramon Casas prints bring the energy of turn-of-the-century Barcelona and Paris into your home. Casas was a Catalan painter, portraitist and poster designer whose work helped define modernisme, Catalonia's version of Art Nouveau. Our collection of fine art prints covers his famous Anís del Mono and Els Quatre Gats posters, his portraits of Barcelona's artists and of his muse Júlia, and his Montmartre and Barcelona scenes.

About Ramon Casas

Ramon Casas i Carbó was born in Barcelona on 4 January 1866. His father had made a fortune in Cuba, and at eleven Ramon left regular school to study in the studio of Joan Vicens. At fifteen he helped found the magazine L'Avenç, and that same year he went to Paris to study at the academy of Carolus-Duran and later with Henri Gervex. In 1883 the Paris Salon showed his self-portrait dressed as a flamenco dancer.

For years he split his time between Paris and Spain. In 1889 he toured Catalonia with his friend Santiago Rusiñol, and the two then lived above the Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre with Miquel Utrillo. His paintings from this time sit somewhere between academic art and Impressionism.

In 1897 Casas largely financed Els Quatre Gats, a Barcelona bar modelled on Le Chat Noir in Paris, run by Pere Romeu with Rusiñol and Utrillo as partners. It became the centre of modernisme and hosted one of Pablo Picasso's first solo shows. Casas designed its posters and contributed to its magazines, including Pèl & Ploma, and went on to design advertisements for Codorniu, Anís del Mono and many other brands.

His crowd painting Garrote Vil won a prize in Munich in 1901, and twelve of his paintings were installed in the Cercle del Liceu club in 1902. In 1906 he met Júlia Peraire, an 18-year-old model who became his favourite subject and, in 1922, his wife. The American collector Charles Deering became a major patron. Casas died in Barcelona on 29 February 1932.

Style and Subjects

Casas was a superb portraitist, with a quick, confident line in his charcoal sketches of Barcelona's writers, artists and politicians. His oils range from intimate interiors and plein-air scenes to large, carefully detailed crowd pictures: a bullfight audience, a public execution, police charging a crowd.

His posters are bold and simple, with flat colour, strong outlines and elegant women, in the Art Nouveau style that became the look of modernisme. Many feature the gaunt face of his friend Pere Romeu.

Famous Works

• Plein Air (1890), Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. A light-filled Paris scene from his years in Montmartre.
• Moulin de la Galette Interior (1890), Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. The famous Montmartre dance hall, painted while he lived above it.
• Garrote Vil (1894), Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid. A crowd gathered for a public execution, which won a major prize in Munich.
• Ramon Casas and Pere Romeu on a Tandem (1897), Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. The artist pipe in mouth on a tandem bicycle, painted for the wall of Els Quatre Gats.
• The Corpus Christi Procession Leaving the Church of Santa Maria del Mar (1897), Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. A crowded Barcelona street procession.
• Portrait of Pablo Picasso (1900), Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. A charcoal portrait of the young Picasso from the Quatre Gats years.
• Ramon Casas and Pere Romeu in an Automobile (1901), Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. A playful follow-up to the tandem picture, this time in a motor car.
• The Charge (Barcelona 1902) (c. 1899–1902), Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid. Civil Guard horsemen scattering a crowd, which won first prize in Madrid in 1904.

Decorating with Casas Prints

Casas's posters are made for kitchens, dining rooms and home bars. Anís del Mono and the 4 Gats designs add bold colour and a café atmosphere, and suit both vintage and modern interiors.

The tandem and automobile pictures bring humour to a hallway, office or garage space, while his portraits of Júlia and his charcoal sketches suit a bedroom, study or reading room.

FAQ

What art movement was Ramon Casas part of?

Casas was a leading figure of Catalan modernisme, the Barcelona form of Art Nouveau. His early paintings also show the influence of French Impressionism.

What is Ramon Casas's most famous painting?

Ramon Casas and Pere Romeu on a Tandem (1897), painted for the Els Quatre Gats bar, is his best-known image. Garrote Vil and The Charge are his most famous large crowd scenes.

What was Els Quatre Gats?

Els Quatre Gats (The Four Cats) was a Barcelona café-bar opened in 1897 and largely financed by Casas. It was the meeting place of the modernista artists and hosted one of Picasso's first exhibitions.

Who was Júlia Peraire?

Júlia Peraire was a model Casas met in 1906. She became his favourite model and companion, and they married in 1922.

Where can I see Casas's work?

The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona has the largest collection. The Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid and the Cercle del Liceu in Barcelona also hold important works.

Related Artists

• Santiago Rusiñol: closest friend, travel companion and partner in Els Quatre Gats
• Isidre Nonell: Barcelona painter of the modernista generation
• Joaquín Sorolla: Spanish painter Casas befriended in Madrid in 1904
• Ignacio Zuloaga: painter Casas met and was influenced by in the 1880s
• Alexandre de Riquer: fellow modernista poster designer in Barcelona