Ricard Opisso

Ricard Opisso (1880–1966) was a Spanish cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and painter.

Biography

Opisso and son Alfredo Viñas, journalist, historian and critic, and Antonia Hall and Gil, his sister Regina Opisso, was also a writer. Comes from a family full of artists illustrated. His paternal grandfather was Opisso and Josep Roig, a journalist and director of Diari de Tarragona, father of Antonia writers also Opisso and Vine and Antoni Opisso and Vina. His maternal great-grandfather was the painter Pere Pau Mountain, his maternal grandfather Felipe Jacinto Room fabulist and his maternal uncle, the painter Emilio Sala and French. His nephew was Arturo Llorens and Opisso, a writer better known under his pseudonym Arturo Llopis.

Although born in Tarragona, his family moved to Barcelona when Opisso had only two years old. In the modernist Barcelona of late nineteenth century, Opisso worked as an assistant Antonio Gaudíen the works of the Holy Family of Barcelonadesde 1892. was linked to the group Els Quatre Gats, along with Ramon Casas, Manuel Hugué, Isidre Nonell and Pablo Picasso, among others.

Later he worked as an illustrator for publications such as ¡Cu-Cut! since 1903) and L'Esquella of Torratxa (from 1912), signing oriented political satire, which are graphically related art nouveau drawings. Because of the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera, Opisso leaves the political satire and drawings approach the custom themes, specializing in popular scenes. His drawings from this period are characterized by motley crowds in Barcelona's popular scenarios. From this period dates his best known works for the magazine TBO dehistorieta (which had begun working in 1919), where he specialized in performing covers. He collaborated with many other publications, as in Patufet, Pocholo, etc.

After the war, the paintings of Opisso triumphed in the galleries of Barcelona. In 1953 he received recognition from their hometown in the Fourth Art Fair Tarragona.

Legacy

Recently there have been several exhibitions of his drawings.

Opisso Museum

Astoria Hotel in Barcelona is shown continuously since late 2007 on the ground floor (lobby and cafeteria) a collection of more than 200 illustrations Opisso. The drawings and posters come from the private collection of Jordi Clos, president of the hotel chain owner (Derby Hotels Collection).