Antoni Bernad I Margarit

Place: Barcelona

Born: 1944

Biography:

Antoni Bernad i Margarit is a Spanish photographer born in Barcelona in 1944. He is known for his forerunner role in conceptual art in Spain, starting his artistic career in the mid-1960s. His work has been exhibited in various institutions, including the Petite Galerie in Lleida and the Palau Robert in Barcelona. In 1969, he created the first video art piece in Spain, Primera mort, along with Jordi Galí, Silvia Gubern, and Àngel Jové. After abandoning his artistic practice in the early 1970s, he resumed it in 1979 and began incorporating new materials in the late 1980s. His work has transitioned towards three-dimensional paintings, and he has produced large series such as Epifanies i sofismes, Et in Arcadia Ego, Preposicions, Velletque videre, Sense penediment, and Viatge d’hivern. Since 2005, he has been working on the series SOS: senyals de fum des d’un subsòl. He has been a professor of artistic literature at the University of Girona and has directed art workshops at EINA, University School of Design and Art in Barcelona. He has also served as a curator for exhibitions such as The anxiety of Influences. Tàpies Seen by Llena (1991) and Antoni Bernad. North/South/East/West (2018). In addition to his role as a regular contributor to written media, he has published the books La gana de l’artista (1999) and Per l’ull de l’art (2008). He is the creator of public sculptures, including David i Goliat (Barcelona, 1992) and Homenatge als Castellers (Barcelona, 2011). His work is included in public collections at institutions such as Fundació Antoni Tàpies (Barcelona), Fundació ”la Caixa” (Barcelona), Fundació Joan Miró (Barcelona), Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), Patio Herreriano - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Español (Valladolid), and the Museum of Modern Art (New York).