Barcelona city council recovers Muñoz Ramonet’s works of art

Barcelona city council has recovered 12 works of art from the collection of Julio Muñoz Ramonet, which the industrialist left to the city on his death in 1991. The handover of the artworks comes after his daughters lost a long legal battle with the local authority.

Yesterday, the council showed off the 12 paintings in the headquarters of the Fundación Muñoz Ramonet. Most “are from the Bosch Catarineu collection, which Muñoz Ramonet acquired in 1950,” according to culture councillor, Joan Subirats

Among the 12 paintings is “Retrat de dona” (1873), by Antoni Caba; “Nen Jesús amb la creu” (C 17th), attributed to Alonso Cano; “Mare de déu orant” (C 15th), from the Valencia school; “Retrat de la marquesa de Muxica” (C 19th), by Winterhalter; “Sant Francesc” (C 17th), attributed to Schurtz; and “Retrat de cavaller” (C 18th), attributed to Reynolds. Also among the paintings is “Boda de Julio Muñoz Ramonet” (1948), by Ernest Santasusagna.

The court ordered Muñoz Ramonet’s four daughters, Helena, Isabel, María del Carmen and Alejandra Muñoz Villalonga, and four companies in the family business group, to hand over 14 paintings in June 2016, along with another six mentioned in a legal report, which were in a family dwelling in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres.