Art

The art collection owes its origin to the donations of illustrious figures from Vilafranca in the twentieth century. In 1972, Manuel Trens donated his collection of liturgical art to the museum, made up of paintings, sculptures and gold and silver work of Catalan and Castilian origin, dating from the 12th to the 19th century, as well as an important collection of Catalan drawings and paintings from the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Featuring the outstanding presence of works by diverse academics: Claudi Lorenzale, Lluís Rigalt, Simó Gómez and Pau Milà; landscape painters: Dionís Baixeras, Josep Berga; modernists: Josep Masriera, Joan Llimona, Joan Brull, Joaquim Mir, Josep Mirabent, Lluïsa Vidal and Alexandre de Riquer; and noucentistes: Josep Obiols, Enric Casanovas, Francesc Domingo, Darius Vilàs, Antoni Vila Arrufat, etc.

It is also important to highlight the pictorial collections from the legacies of prominent wine-producing families, such as the Pladellorens collection and the Berger collection, with the presence of artists including Masriera, Eliseu Meifrèn, Josep Maria Tamburini, Xavier Gosé, Ricard Urgell, Roig i Soler, Alexandre de Cabanyes and Armand Cardona Torrandell.

On the other hand, Joan Bonet i Baltà donated his pottery collection in 1978. The 1500 plus pieces are a unique testimony to the history of pottery production in Catalonia from the fourteenth century to the nineteenth century. There are also pieces from other important centers in Spain, including Triana, Muel, Toledo and Talavera de la Reina.