He presented his first works (landscapes, seascapes, and barbershop scenes) at the Balearic exhibition in Sóller in 1897 and at the Foment de Pintura exhibition in 1898. He was soon captivated by the Modernist art that emerged in Barcelona around 1890, and with the arrival in Mallorca of Santiago Rusiñol and Joaquim Mir, whom he met through his friend Blanes Viale, our artist found his clearest artistic influences. In 1902, thanks to Rusiñol and Mir, he held his first solo exhibition at the Sala Parés in Barcelona, ​​which was a resounding success. That same year, his second solo exhibition took place at the “Círculo Mallorquín,” receiving favorable reviews but also harsh criticism from the more conservative academic sector.

In 1903, he enjoyed his first stay in Paris, where he delighted in painting gardens and cityscapes and participated in several exhibitions in the French capital. In 1904, he held another solo exhibition at the “Círculo Mallorquín” with some twenty works depicting Mallorcan and Parisian landscapes. The exhibition was a resounding success, but once again, a significant portion of the critics—who were never able to overcome nineteenth-century academicism—openly opposed him. Santiago Rusiñol came to his defense, generating an even greater dispute.

In the Spanish capital, there was a broader perspective, and in 1906, our artist received an honorable mention at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid. His second stay in Paris brought about a certain shift in his painting towards a Synthetism à la Gauguin and a thematic approach in line with the Parisian scenes of Hermen Anglada Camarasa. The works from that period were presented in exhibitions at the «Círculo de Bellas Artes» (Fine Arts Circle) in Palma de Mallorca in 1907 and 1909.

From 1908 to 1910, Antoni Gelabert held the position of Professor of Composition at the Palma School of Fine Arts, appointed by the new president, Eliseo Meifrén.

In 1913, H. Anglada Camarasa spent an extended period in Pollensa, establishing a close friendship between the two painters. This friendship had a noticeable influence on Gelabert’s work between 1916 and 1921. In 1917, he exhibited at «La Veda» and «La Sala Reig» in Barcelona. In 1918, he debuted at the «Galerías Layetanas» in Barcelona with a collection of canvases whose main subject was urban landscapes of Palma.

In 1909, Antoni Gelabert began a relationship with Clara Lucena, a relative from Felanitx, with whom he would share the rest of his life. Clara Lucena was known in the art world as the “brave brunette,” a nickname attributed to the painter and family friend, Francisco Bernareggi.

In 1922, thanks to the compensation he received for the expropriation and demolition of the premises where the painter’s barbershop was located, he was able to move his subsistence business to another location and acquire “Son Fony”: a house with land in the picturesque municipality of Deià. This event marked a turning point in his life and work. The beautiful landscapes and surroundings of both Deià and Pollensa would become the main subjects of his art.

His writing career also intensified from 1925 onwards with his opinion pieces in “La Almudaina” and “La Última Hora,” addressing topics such as painting, music, architecture, and the history of Mallorca. Like his brush, his pen was sincere and honest. He defended his arguments with sound judgment and did not shy away from debates with his detractors, who were often powerful and influential.

Antoni Gelabert, endowed with unparalleled instinct, rare originality, and a distinctive and unique style, could never understand the rejection of a segment of island society towards him and his painting. For some, coming from a humble background and cutting hair must have been an insurmountable barrier to artistic creation. The difficulty he found in selling his works and the inability to make a living from his art was a true torment for him. This inner pain led him to a deep depression, and as a result, from the spring of 1923 until his death in 1932, he only exhibited three times on his native island: “Emparrats de Mallorca” at Galerías Costa (1928), at Galerías Mallorquines (1930), and again at Galerías Costa (1931).

From 1927 onward, his mood, and consequently his health, progressively deteriorated, and in the magical paradise of Deià, which had so often inspired his brushes, he ended his life on the morning of January 22, 1932.

A little-known fact is that A. Gelabert not only believed in his art but also loved all good art, ceramics, and antiques. Proof of this is that his house in Deià resembled a museum more than a home. His extensive collection included works by Anglada Camarasa, Mir, Rusiñol, Bernareggi, Blanes Viale, Nocetti, and others; fine Baroque and Neoclassical furniture; and a significant collection of Modernist ceramics from the «La Roqueta» factory. During his brief but fruitful life, he wrote numerous articles.

He wrote articles on ceramics and antiques, giving lectures on the subject.

Antoni Gelabert’s pictorial evolution was constant. Some critics identify six, and even eight, distinct stages; however, I believe his trajectory was gradual and without abrupt changes, always preserving his individual style. In his first two decades, his landscapes appear more subtle and defined, with moderate impasto and a predominance of green tones, in line with the prevailing modernism. His stays in Paris undoubtedly provided him with a new perspective. The first stay imbued his works with a certain symbolist air; he painted gardens and delighted in urban landscapes, while in the second, his painting adopted a certain synthesist-cloisonnist style that is somewhat reminiscent of Gauguin. From my point of view, it is from 1910 onward that his best work emerges, sometimes with a nod to neo-impressionism without ever abandoning modernism. His chromatic palette expanded with an infinite array of colors, and after discovering Deià, the brush and the palette knife exultantly shared the spotlight. His decisive strokes, brimming with dramatic effect, smiled upon French pointillism from its «vineyards» in the gardens of the Serra de Tramuntana. And everything was transformed into placid light, into magical poetry, into enduring beauty.

Antoni Gelabert was an unlucky genius. From his beginnings, he was forced to endure the hypocrisy and elitism of the stale and backward Mallorcan society of the time, and at the same time, he was the victim of the envy of many academic painters who never accepted that a humble self-taught man, the son of a barber and a barber himself, could be an artist far superior to them.

It is true that there is no prophet in his own land, and Antoni Gelabert was no exception. After his death, and after some time had passed, recognition finally came from institutions, some of which had ignored or denigrated him during his lifetime.

Time tends to be generous to the bold, to the brave who offered their best, and the art of the great Antoni Gelabert has been recognized and honored to this day. The canvases that the barber’s son could barely sell have become highly sought-after works in the most prestigious art galleries.

Antoni Gelabert was so honest with his art that, like a Greek tragedy, he took it to its ultimate consequences. He lived and died for it.

Damián Verger Garau
Court-Appointed Expert in Antiques and Works of Art
Art Critic