The art world is a space where creativity and innovation merge in unexpected and exciting ways. At the heart of this scene is a unique and talented artist, Carles DelClaux, whose career has been an amazing journey of artistic exploration, exciting collaborations and a surprising approach to wool as an artistic medium. In this article, we will explore the life and work of Carles DelClaux, his inspiration and his unwavering commitment to the art and tradition of high-warp tapestry.
Carles DelClaux in your Ripoll workshop
Did you know that since their remote origins, tapestries have been used to wrap the walls in cold weather, improving the thermal sensation in rooms? It is most likely that early tapestries were simply thick cloths hung on the walls (as curtains) or spread on the floor (as carpets).
**Professional career: creative director of the Catalan Tapestry School**.
Carles DelClaux was born in Sant Cugat del Vallés (Barcelona) in 1951 and from an early age, he showed an inclination towards art and creativity through painting, being a pupil of the artist Joan Tortosa. At the early age of 16 she joined Alfombras y Tapices Aymat, where she began a journey of great experiences and learning through nature, women and her own self as inspiration.
Carles DelClaux, 1974
At just 19 years of age, he is now in charge of the workshop after the departure of its last creative director, Josep Royo. With courage and determination he takes the reins and begins a path of fusion between tradition and innovation to create his own characteristic style, training at the same time at the Massana School of Fine Arts (Barcelona).
Carles Delclaux
From 1970 to 1974 he directed the Catalan Tapestry School, whose first seeds were sown by Tomás Aymat in 1914 when he created his first tapestry. Delclaux can be described without hesitation as its most persevering director and Josep Grau-Garriga as its creator.
Casa Aymat
The Casa Aymat was a direct and indirect driving force behind this whole textile movement, first with Tomàs Aymat and later with Miquel Samaranch and the Catalan Tapestry School. This gave rise to such important tapestry artists as Josep Grau Garriga and Josep Royo. Leading figures in the art world such as Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Antoni Tàpies, among others, were introduced to the world of tapestry art by the Aymat factory.
**The artist’s own gaze**
Delclaux has been the magnificent interpreter of Tharrats, Subirachs and Beulas. He has also worked as a teacher for thirty-five years, training several generations of weavers, but above all where he has excelled is by bringing his own designs to the loom, which are like the woven book of his own life.
Carles Delclaux tapestry workshop 1982
The long and intense professional life of this artist is inexhaustible, demonstrating his mastery as an indisputable proof of his ability.
Carles Delclaux as master upholsterer
At the CDAN we find this interpretation of a drawing by Miró, made with more than 100 kilos of moiré wool. Delclaux undertook the project after the Catalan artist’s death as a tribute to mark the centenary of his birth.
Tapis de la creació, 1993
**The Museum of Contemporary Tapestry**
The Casa Aymat is the sub-site of the Sant Cugat Museum dedicated to contemporary art, especially textile art. The tour explains the history of the manufacture, with technical notes on tapestry and carpet.
Casa Aymat
Designed to promote the conservation, research and dissemination of the historical, artistic and cultural heritage of the municipality, it consists of two sites: the monastery and the Casa Aymat. The Casa Aymat is dedicated to contemporary art and, in particular, to textile art.
Corinti, 2007
**Current Exhibitions**
His work can be found in museums such as MACBA, CDAN, Museo del Tapiz Contemporáneo, Casa Aymat, CDMT and others, as well as in private collections and public institutions.
L’empordanet, 1981
Detail of L’Empordanet, 1981
In the 1980s his tapestries were filled with flowers, butterflies and birds, which are not only a hymn to nature, but also a metaphor for the fullness he feels. During this period he created L’Empordanet, considered by some to be one of his best works. The dimensions are impressive 340×700 cm.
**A prolific artist**
Surrounded by huge balls of wool and jute, Carles Delclaux continues to create from his workshop in Ripoll. His extensive oeuvre consists of more than 400 tapestries, reflecting the different stages of maturity throughout his career. It was a pleasure to be able to visit him this summer in his workshop and see first-hand the mastery with which he undertakes his work.
The vibrant colours with which he composes new realities that are in constant evolution, because an artist is immortal to his work and his trajectory, transcending through the memories that remain in the memory of those who know his work closely.
Work of Carles DelClaux
“The fabric is our second skin and the only one we can choose”. Grau-Garriga
If you want to know more about the work of this artist; there is a book available written by Laura de la Calle Vian “La vida en un hilo”, which aims to synthesize this long trajectory to understand the meaning of his work as a reflection of his life.
CARLES DELCLAUX; THE CREATIVE FUSION OF WOOL AND ART
The art world is a space where creativity and innovation merge in unexpected and exciting ways. At the heart of this scene is a unique and talented artist, Carles DelClaux, whose career has been an amazing journey of artistic exploration, exciting collaborations and a surprising approach to wool as an artistic medium. In this article, we will explore the life and work of Carles DelClaux, his inspiration and his unwavering commitment to the art and tradition of high-warp tapestry.
Carles DelClaux in your Ripoll workshop
Did you know that since their remote origins, tapestries have been used to wrap the walls in cold weather, improving the thermal sensation in rooms? It is most likely that early tapestries were simply thick cloths hung on the walls (as curtains) or spread on the floor (as carpets).
**Professional career: creative director of the Catalan Tapestry School**.
Carles DelClaux was born in Sant Cugat del Vallés (Barcelona) in 1951 and from an early age, he showed an inclination towards art and creativity through painting, being a pupil of the artist Joan Tortosa. At the early age of 16 she joined Alfombras y Tapices Aymat, where she began a journey of great experiences and learning through nature, women and her own self as inspiration.
Carles DelClaux, 1974
At just 19 years of age, he is now in charge of the workshop after the departure of its last creative director, Josep Royo. With courage and determination he takes the reins and begins a path of fusion between tradition and innovation to create his own characteristic style, training at the same time at the Massana School of Fine Arts (Barcelona).
Carles Delclaux
From 1970 to 1974 he directed the Catalan Tapestry School, whose first seeds were sown by Tomás Aymat in 1914 when he created his first tapestry. Delclaux can be described without hesitation as its most persevering director and Josep Grau-Garriga as its creator.
Casa Aymat
The Casa Aymat was a direct and indirect driving force behind this whole textile movement, first with Tomàs Aymat and later with Miquel Samaranch and the Catalan Tapestry School. This gave rise to such important tapestry artists as Josep Grau Garriga and Josep Royo. Leading figures in the art world such as Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Antoni Tàpies, among others, were introduced to the world of tapestry art by the Aymat factory.
**The artist’s own gaze**
Delclaux has been the magnificent interpreter of Tharrats, Subirachs and Beulas. He has also worked as a teacher for thirty-five years, training several generations of weavers, but above all where he has excelled is by bringing his own designs to the loom, which are like the woven book of his own life.
Carles Delclaux tapestry workshop 1982
The long and intense professional life of this artist is inexhaustible, demonstrating his mastery as an indisputable proof of his ability.
Carles Delclaux as master upholsterer
At the CDAN we find this interpretation of a drawing by Miró, made with more than 100 kilos of moiré wool. Delclaux undertook the project after the Catalan artist’s death as a tribute to mark the centenary of his birth.
Tapis de la creació, 1993
**The Museum of Contemporary Tapestry**
The Casa Aymat is the sub-site of the Sant Cugat Museum dedicated to contemporary art, especially textile art. The tour explains the history of the manufacture, with technical notes on tapestry and carpet.
Casa Aymat
Designed to promote the conservation, research and dissemination of the historical, artistic and cultural heritage of the municipality, it consists of two sites: the monastery and the Casa Aymat. The Casa Aymat is dedicated to contemporary art and, in particular, to textile art.
Corinti, 2007
**Current Exhibitions**
His work can be found in museums such as MACBA, CDAN, Museo del Tapiz Contemporáneo, Casa Aymat, CDMT and others, as well as in private collections and public institutions.
L’empordanet, 1981
Detail of L’Empordanet, 1981
In the 1980s his tapestries were filled with flowers, butterflies and birds, which are not only a hymn to nature, but also a metaphor for the fullness he feels. During this period he created L’Empordanet, considered by some to be one of his best works. The dimensions are impressive 340×700 cm.
**A prolific artist**
Surrounded by huge balls of wool and jute, Carles Delclaux continues to create from his workshop in Ripoll. His extensive oeuvre consists of more than 400 tapestries, reflecting the different stages of maturity throughout his career. It was a pleasure to be able to visit him this summer in his workshop and see first-hand the mastery with which he undertakes his work.
The vibrant colours with which he composes new realities that are in constant evolution, because an artist is immortal to his work and his trajectory, transcending through the memories that remain in the memory of those who know his work closely.
Work of Carles DelClaux
“The fabric is our second skin and the only one we can choose”. Grau-Garriga
If you want to know more about the work of this artist; there is a book available written by Laura de la Calle Vian “La vida en un hilo”, which aims to synthesize this long trajectory to understand the meaning of his work as a reflection of his life.
http://www.cdan.es/tapestries-legacy/