Right now, in the Espai d'Art, works by Francesc Gimeno and Jaime Súnico are exhibited, face to face: the first, between the 19th and 20th centuries, with an obsessive tendency towards self-portraiture (almost forced by his precarious life moment); the second (from the mid-20th century), depositing paste and colored spatula in the portraits, both with a subversive and courageous gaze. Artur explains to me, along with his sister Mònica, that the entrance door features a leaf by Subirachs because their father was Subirachs' dealer for forty years, when both the antique dealer and the gallery were on Calle de la Palla. Soon, on these same walls, we will see engravings by Miquel Barceló. And, also soon, a book about the genesis of all this. One hundred years are not celebrated every day.
The date 1926 was the one they had to take as a reference, but already in 1893 the great-grandfather transitioned his sister's jewelry business towards the antiques sector. All of this, in Sitges. Utrillo was a friend of the great-grandfather (Artur Ramon) and sold him approximately 200 antique objects, which are now in the Palau de Maricel. Charles Deering (the American industrialist who commissioned Utrillo for the works of the Sitges palace) got angry over monetary disagreements and left for Chicago, taking most of the pieces with him (for example, the very valuable panel of Sant Jordi i la princesa by Bernat Martorell).
It was then that the great-grandfather began to organize exhibitions, attend auctions, witness the phenomenon of tourism in Sitges, the urbanization of Terramar, the aspiration to be the French Riviera of the south… All of this helped the business grow, passing into the hands of the grandfather (Artur Ramon), until the Civil War arrived and he was imprisoned on the ship Argentina. Upon his release, the Ramon family's Barcelona stage began. But: from scratch. Everything had disappeared because of the war.
Barcelona means continuing with the line of selling antiques and restoring pieces, until, in 1942, the establishment on Palla Street was inaugurated. They remained there until 2017. When asked why they moved to Bailèn with Ausiàs March, they answer what we feared: the Gothic Quarter has transformed into an excessively touristy ecosystem. What Artur Ramon (third generation) likes most about his profession is that every day is different and that it allows him to delve into the history of the pieces and also of the people. It allows him to meet extraordinary profiles of people and, furthermore, living with art (he tells me, while a magnificent gypsy by Nonell, recently restored, observes us from the well-lit shelf in the background) is a very gratifying experience. The process of restoring, of knowing, of framing, of not taking anything for granted because there is always a surprising element. Forcing oneself to study, to review, to be sure of things.
He and Mònica highlight the international presence achieved, especially at the Maastricht and London fairs (the Frieze fair), which is equivalent to competing in the Champions League. At the very top. To access Maastricht, they had to fight for seven years, thanks to their very important selection of drawings (in the international market, they don't accept your entry if you are not highly specialized). From these collections, they found a space in the Works of Art area of the fair. Now they are no longer in that sectoral corner: now they bring both drawings and works by Sean Scully, Miró, Barceló, or Tàpies. Maastricht, they explain, places you alongside the most important dealers in the world. Being there is, therefore, belonging to a very select club. To an elite.
A warning, however: without this international opening, they would have had to close. As also happens in the world of Catalan artists, who until they succeed internationally, crash in their own country. Today the Artur Ramon gallery sells pieces to some local client and to some national museum, yes, but it would not have been enough: "We have been left almost alone in the sector in Barcelona," they lament. Artur Ramon Tercero (his father) bought pieces abroad and people from Barcelona acquired them. Now, Artur Ramon Cuarto buys the pieces here and must sell them abroad.
What do the Ramons have? Judgment. An eye for excellence and the ability to connect artists: knowing how to place Morandi, Picasso and Togores at the same level and seeing what happens when they dialogue. Knowing how to put the best Casas next to a still life by Théodule-Augustin Ribot. Having a clear criterion and defending it. When the pieces are of quality, they coexist perfectly, even if they are from different or even opposing eras and styles. They have a lot of Catalan painting (bodies, landscapes…), of course, and they also focus on the role of the woman artist or curator. Mònica, for her part, also looks after the world of craft, textiles, and ceramics. Many pieces come to them thanks to the name cultivated for over a hundred years, and they are pleased to see that there are works that had belonged to their father and that, suddenly and after traveling the world, fall back into their hands as a providential return to the Born. This has already happened with an Anglada and a Casas.
Finally, they explain to me that today people in Barcelona are getting rid of works more than seeking to acquire them. There is a lot of supply in the city, but demand is clearly outside (there is more culture of collecting and art, and also more money, and patrimonial laws that favor them much more). They lament the counterproductive rigidity of Catalan and Spanish laws in this regard: because of this, they still don't know if half of the stand planned in Maastricht will be able to be there this year.
Art, they conclude, is not a luxury: it is culture. Therefore, it must have culture taxes (specifically VAT). We have misunderstood it: they don't sell Ferraris, they sell books. This country is a true European exception, but in the opposite sense to what it was a century ago, when it all began. The Ramons, despite the setbacks, have found their way to grow. If the country cannot shine, the people and projects will have to shine.