"Art has to go beyond decoration"

Son of Anthony Quinn (the result of his marriage to Italian costume designer Yolanda Addolori), Lorenzo Quinn lives in harmony in Castelldefels where he enjoys the good weather, good food, and infinite peace to achieve the necessary inspiration for his sculptures. He leads a very ordered, healthy, and almost hermit-like life, which he himself chose after living amidst the hustle and bustle of New York. He announces that, after a peaceful confinement, he has many projects in sight, both international and national: "They have asked me for two sculptures for Castelldefels and one for Gavà, but I cannot say more."

Light floods Lorenzo Quinn's workshop on Creatividad street in Gavà. The artist has lived in Castelldefels for twenty-five years and it takes him exactly seven minutes to get to his workplace: "When we arrived here we lived by the sea and spent all day on the beach and, now that we live in the mountains, we see the sea from home but hardly ever step on the sand."

Huge windows welcome visitors to Lorenzo's universe. In the entrance hall, two of his sculptures, of two men climbing a rope, are a good metaphor for the daily effort required to achieve a goal.

In this quarter century, he has changed homes and workshops several times, but always settles near the sea.

--- Does the Mediterranean serve as a source of inspiration for you?

--- No, but watching the waves relaxes me a lot. I am inspired by the books I read, the movies I watch, and the conversations I have with the people around me. My sculptures do not seek aesthetics, but rather have a message and create a dialogue; I believe that art should say things and provoke.

--- What is your life like in Barcelona?

--- I don't do much in Barcelona. I travel a lot and when I'm here I like to be at home with my family and play sports. The location of Castelldefels is strategic, because I take many planes and I am next to the airport.

In 2013, he gifted a sculpture to Castelldefels that people walking along the beach enjoy. "Now they have commissioned two sculptures for Castelldefels and one for Gavà; but I cannot say anything more. I have been here for twenty-five years and I have nothing to show, it's a shame. Spain is very difficult for this. There is no institutional help for art. There is no mentality of buying art here. Barcelona is dead artistically."

Until recently, I had a gallery in London and have always moved at an international level. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't also succeed here. I haven't sold a work in Spain since 2011. In the United States, there's a federal law that allocates a budget for buildings to buy art for common spaces. There's a lot of art there, and it can be tax-deductible as an expense. If you donate to a museum, you can deduct one hundred percent. Look at the turnaround Miami has had with the arrival of Art Basel. Thanks to this fair, there are five art museums. Here, they don't understand that art attracts people. All my projects are outside of Spain: The Venice Biennale, United Arab Emirates, Germany, England, or the United States. My agenda is one hundred percent international."

--- What is your life philosophy?

--- I am very consistent and transparent. I go towards the causes that I believe need to be defended and I fight for them. Now we all have to be with Ukraine. Art has to go beyond decoration. I am a figurative artist, not abstract. Abstract work is too intimate, and I prefer to generate dialogue. There are so many things you can talk about. I am a very concrete person, I am a Taurus. What you see is what I am.

--- How did you experience the pandemic?

--- On a personal level, it was a phenomenal period because I enjoyed my family, and it was a very creative time. I came to the workshop alone every day and could continue working. But we cannot forget all the people who suffered and those who died.

In November 2021, he presented a sculpture at the Giza pyramids made with an immense stainless steel mesh that recreated the pyramid. "It was a wonderful experience because the pyramids are unique. It was the first time I used a mesh, and I thought it was a good solution not to cover the pyramids. The result was exceptional and had incredible media repercussions."

We go down to the workshop where we discover some of his most recent pieces.

--- What materials do you use?

--- Mainly stainless steel, bronze, and aluminum. The aluminum comes from Germany and the bronze from Romania and Germany. We have the foundry in Valls and sometimes we also have to rely on one in Madrid. In some of my projects, up to three hundred people have worked. The creative team is very small, but depending on the commission, we adapt to the needs. Sculpture is super alive. There is a big market in the art world.

In a conformist tone, he admits that "in Barcelona there is no market but we have the sun and the sea. A perfect day in the city of Barcelona is to go to a good restaurant and then see a good exhibition. I also love to take a walk through Park Güell or Ciutadella. I left New York because the city overwhelms me. I have agoraphobia. Barcelona is a city that has no traffic problems and that is fantastic."