Bigas Luna (Filmmaker and Plastic Artist) | Triptych / A (1976) | Mixed Media on Paper | Conceptual Avant-Garde

A fascinating historical triptych from 1976 that captures the plastic and conceptual facets of Bigas Luna, where the fluidity of inks and watercolors anticipates the visceral, organic, and sensory obsession that would define his iconic cinematography.

History and Curatorial Analysis

Before becoming one of Europe's most influential film directors—creator of masterpieces such as Bilbao, Caniche, and Jamón, Jamón and discoverer of international talents—Josep Joan Bigas Luna (Barcelona, 1946-2013) developed a prolific and distinguished career as a plastic artist and conceptual designer. During the 1970s, fully integrated into the Catalan avant-garde, he investigated the relationships between matter, body, and eroticism through graphic mediums.

Executed in a crucial year like 1976—just before his definitive leap into fiction feature filmmaking—Tríptic / A brings together three intimate pieces on paper where water, ink, and organic pigmentation form fluid stains, cellular textures, and compositions with a remarkable lyrical charge. Each of the three works explores the tension between the randomness of diluted pigment and the intervention of graphite strokes. This visceral and earthy graphic language connects directly with the plastic imagery that the author would later transfer to the big screen, making this work an invaluable historical document for understanding the creative genesis of the brilliant Catalan artist.

Reasons for the collection

• Film and plastic art crossover: Historical work by an icon of European cinema. Bigas Luna's plastic pieces from the 70s are coveted by both avant-garde collectors and lovers of film history.

• Historical date (1976): Created in the midst of a period of artistic and institutional transition in Spain, during the author's stage of maximum conceptual experimentation in Barcelona.

• Complete composition and triple authenticity: Triptych consisting of three individual works, each hand-signed by the artist on the front ("bigas"). The reverse preserves the original period assembly with the title, full signature, and date ("TRIPTIC / A / bigas / 76").

• Period presentation: Vertically mounted in a gold metal frame with a brown neutral-toned passe-partout that highlights the luminous quality of the papers.

Technical Sheet

• Author: Josep Joan Bigas Luna (1946-2013)

• Title: Tríptic / A

• Year: 1976

• Style: Conceptual Art / Organic Informalism

• Technique: Mixed media (watercolor, inks, and graphite) on paper

• Dimensions of each work: 16 x 10 cm (Composition of 3 pieces)

• Overall dimensions with frame: 52 x 31 cm (Vertical format)

• Signature: Individually signed on the front ("bigas"); titled, signed, and dated on the reverse in ink.

• Condition: Excellent. Preserves the vibrancy of the pigments and the integrity of the paper supports.

The Workshop's Note

Finding pictorial works by Bigas Luna from the 1970s on the private market is an extremely rare opportunity, as most of his plastic production from this period is preserved in institutional collections or within his immediate circle. Tríptic / A is a piece for the mature collector: it offers the subtle beauty of work on paper combined with the enormous media and historical weight of its author's name. For El Taller del Coleccionista, this work represents the perfect balance between the Catalan artistic avant-garde and the living history of contemporary cinema.