Agustí Puig’s (b. 1957) paintings appear to emerge from thin air, to erupt onto the canvas in dynamic strokes that bridge abstraction and figuration. Each layered surface is built through an intuitive, vigorous process—free yet deliberate—where gesture and restraint intertwine. The tension between colour and form speaks to the artist’s intentional control, even within moments of raw spontaneity.
His technique is as physical as it is conceptual. Beginning with dense layers of paint, he intervenes before they fully dry, drawing embedded lines and textures that carry the memory of movement, carving into the surface as though engraving a thought directly into the matter.
Puig’s visual language often evokes fragments of the human body: solitary limbs—arms, legs, or feet—detached from the whole, or the contour of a figure rendered in a single expressive trace. Silhouettes outlined in thick, richly applied paint take shape in graceful, calligraphic compositions that feel both primal and poetic.
His chromatic palette and forceful mark-making give rise to an unmistakably authentic style—bold, emotive, and distinctly his own. Puig is a prolific creator, continuing to produce large-scale, monumental works that command both space and attention.
In his latest presentation, Puig showcases large-scale paintings rendered in a palette of earthy tones—black, white, ash, and terracotta. Characterized by expressionist strokes etched into fresh layers of paint, his compositions feature bold lines, striations, and sweeping gestures. These primal marks evoke a raw, almost brutalist aesthetic that anchors the work in a deep, ancestral energy.
Since 2014, Puig has exhibited regularly at Franklin Bowles Galleries in New York and San Francisco, as well as in prominent venues across Germany, England, China, and Japan—making him one of the most internationally recognized living Catalan artists.
His artwork is housed in several prestigious public and private collections, including:
The Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei (Taiwan)
Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid
The Testimony Collection of the 'la Caixa' Foundation, Balearic Islands
The Contemporary Art Museum of Tarragona, Spain
Puig began painting at a young age before branching into graphic design and poster art—disciplines that heavily influenced his more calligraphic and gestural style.
During a pivotal stay in New York in 1992, his focus shifted toward building texture and density in his work. That same year, he was commissioned to design a stamp for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
Closely connected to the Vila Casas Foundation in Barcelona, Puig’s recent exhibition "La poética del gesto" took place at Vila-seca Castle (Camp de Tarragona, Spain), made possible by a collaboration between the local town hall and the foundation. It was one of the final exhibitions curated under the guidance of Mr. Antoni Vila Casas (1930–2023), regarded as the last great patron of Catalan art.
The exhibition featured an impressive display of two monumental canvases, thoughtfully paired with smaller paintings, sculptures, and ceramics—offering viewers a compelling visual and emotional journey through Puig’s evolving language of gesture.
Agustí Puig has an extensive biography; he has shown all over the world.
