Artist of the Day, August 18, 2026 : Joan Brossa, a Spanish poet, playwright, and visual artist (#2608)

Joan Brossa (1919–1998) was an avant-garde Catalan poet, playwright, and visual artist who worked exclusively in the Catalan language. A pioneer of visual poetry and a co-founder of the influential Dau-al-Set group (1948), Brossa's massive multidisciplinary output included over 80 books, 360 theatrical pieces, film, and performance arts like magic and circus. His work favored expression over content, utilizing wordplay, satire, and irony.

He received numerous honors, including the National Prize for the Visual Arts (1992) and a posthumous doctorate from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He also co-founded the Espai Escènic Joan Brossa theater in Barcelona alongside Hermann Bonnín and the magician Hausson. Personal Archive and LibraryThroughout his life, Brossa accumulated a massive collection of materials across two studios. 

To protect this legacy, the Fundació Joan Brossa was established a year after his passing to catalog his archive, which contains roughly 52,000 items including manuscripts, drafts, printing proofs, and correspondence.

His personal library holds around 6,000 books and magazines centered on his artistic interests, such as magic, theater, and cinema. Originally catalogued by the University of Barcelona at Espai Volart with help from the Vila Casas Foundation, the entire collection—comprising his library, personal archive, and artworks by Brossa himself, Joan Miró, and Antoni Tàpies—was transferred to the MACBA Study and Documentation Centre in January 2012 under a 25-year agreement between the foundation, the city of Barcelona, and the museum.

© 2026. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by  Fundació Joan Brossa or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only

Joan Brossa

Cartipàs, 1973

Transitable visual poem in three times, 1984

Dos (Two), 1988

Faune (Faun), 1988

Poema visual 12 (Visual Poem 12), 1988

Poema visual I (Visual Poem I), 1988

Untitled 7, 1988

Untitled 8 , 1988

Untitled 9 , 1988

Untitled 11, 1988

Vocales y consonantes (Vowels and Consonants), 1988

Zwei (two), 1988

Espia (Spy), 1988-91

Untitled 15, 1989

Ballet, 1989

Hollywood 1969, 1989

Joan prats, 1989

Poema visual 16 (Visual Poem 16), 1989

Poema visual 5 (Visual Poem 5), 1989

Poema visual 7 (Visual Poem 7), 1989

Poema visual 17 (Visual Poem 17) 1989

Poema visual 18 (Visual Poem 18), 1989

Poema visual 20 (Visual Poem 20), 1989

Poema visual 27 (Visual Poem 27), 1989

Untitled 13, 1989

Untitled 17, 1989

Untitled 24, 1989

Signes 12 (Signs 12), 1989

Solstici (Solstice), 1989

Lying A with a fish, 1998
The City Hall of Mollet del Vallès