Agenda: Joan Moliner’s visit, collector of tiles and paving stones

By: Ferran Garcés

In the urban hustle and bustle, we often overlook true works of art that are right under our feet. It’s surprising what people discard on the streets, unaware that some are genuine works of art, some designed by influential artists such as Antoni Gaudí, Domènech i Muntaner, Puig i Cadafalch, or Alexandre de Riquer. Especially noteworthy are hydraulic tiles. Fortunately, this long-neglected heritage is starting to be reclaimed. Sometimes, it’s through personal initiatives, like that of Joan Moliner, who visited us at Torre Bellesguard last week.

During renovations of old houses, rubble containers fill up with pieces that were once icons of Modernism. Like a phoenix, Joan rescues them, restoring their historical artistic value through both restoration work and research and dissemination. If you search for his name on Google, you’ll find many articles from different newspapers talking about his work. Here is the link to his Instagram profile: rajolesdebarcelona

Joan’s passion has led him to collect ceramic pieces of different types, along with the catalogs of the brands that manufactured them. You can imagine it’s a real pleasure to talk with him. He knows countless details and stories about the world of modernist tiles, as well as bricks and other construction materials. At some point, we will publish a more detailed article about them in relation to Torre Bellesguard, where fortunately, a large part of the original decoration has been preserved. As a teaser, we present the lobby’s paving stone, which, when flipped, reveals its origin: the Orsola i Solà Cia factory. Specifically, it corresponds to paving stone number 954 in their catalog, although it was also manufactured by Escofet, the other major brand of that time (1)

To know more

(1) Esparza, Danae (1982) Barcelona a ras de suelo, Edicions de la Universidad de Barcelona, p. 118-120