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Correspondence of Eduard Toda with various correspondents for the V International Art Exhibition

Date
1907
Archive
Municipal Archive of Barcelona
Document type
Textual
Reference code
CAT-AHCB-AHCB4-320-DD363 a DD378
Link to the online document
Description

Set of 16 letters received by Eduard Toda documenting his collaboration from London in proposing, contacting and finally sending the works of English artists for the celebration of the V International Art Exhibition, organized in 1907 in Barcelona by Barcelona City Council. The issuers of these documents are: Bourlet & Sons, James; Davies-Turner Cia; Fisher, Alexander; Marquet, Joseph; Pirozzini, Carlos; Sanllehy, Domènec J.; and Withers, Alfred. This correspondence makes it possible to learn about the English artists and collectors who contributed work for the exhibition, the various procedures required to move the works to Barcelona (some of large format), the insurance contracts and Toda’s intervention in the whole process.
Eduard Toda (Reus 1855-Poblet 1941) was a diplomat, archaeologist, writer, bibliographer and philanthropist. His travels around the world for professional reasons and his interest in culture make him one of the most international figures of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1901 he retired from the diplomatic career and settled in London to devote himself to business, where he accumulated a remarkable wealth until his return to Catalonia in 1918.
The fine arts exhibitions in Barcelona had been created in the image of the French salons after the Universal Exhibition of 1888 to energize the artistic life of the city. Its aim was to become a showcase of modernity, a stage for new art and a meeting point between the main artistic centers of the world. The V International Art Exhibition of Barcelona (1907), held at the Palau de Belles Arts in the city, was the best and largest exhibition of fine arts held up to that time, bringing together up to 2,000 works from countries such as Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Japan and with first-rate foreign participation. They participated, for example and for the first time in the city, works of French impressionism such as Monet, Manet, Sisley and Renoir.