The Casa Taller of the Fundació Miquel Navarro hosted the artist’s lying in state yesterday, Monday 2 November, following his death on Sunday. Family members, friends, residents of Mislata and representatives from the worlds of politics, art and culture were able to come and pay their final respects.
Throughout the morning, large numbers of people and members of the media visited the artistic space that Miquel Navarro had dreamed of and had seen become a reality last June. The Casa Taller, formerly the artist’s workplace and now the headquarters of the Foundation that bears his name, thus became the setting for an emotional tribute, filled with affection and recognition for one of the leading figures in contemporary Spanish art.
Among those who came to accompany the family and offer their condolences was the Mayor of Mislata and President of the Foundation, Carlos Fernández Bielsa, who described Miquel Navarro as a “good, generous and sensitive man who taught the whole city the value of art as the backbone of civilisation”.
“Now it is up to us – something we had already begun to do, but which we must now pursue with even greater determination – to defend, protect and share his legacy, his life and his work, so that future generations will know who Mikel was, what Mikel did and the value art held for society,” Fernández Bielsa emphasised.
Other political figures who attended the lying in state included the Vice-Presidents of the Generalitat Valenciana, José Díez and Susana Camarero; the Regional Minister for Culture, Carmen Ortí; the Mayor of València, María José Catalá; the Regional Secretary for Culture, Marta Alonso; the Councillor for Cultural Affairs and Heritage at València City Council, José Luis Moreno; and the President of the Consell Valencià de Cultura, José María Lozano. Also present were former President of the Generalitat Valenciana Ximo Puig and former Regional Minister for Culture Ciprià Císcar.
María José Catalá fondly recalled her conversations with the artist and “his way of seeing the world”, while Susana Camarero highlighted his generosity in donating 500 works to the Generalitat Valenciana. She also expressed the regional administration’s commitment to “looking after them, preserving them and making them available to the people of Valencia, because that is what Miquel wanted”.
Leading figures from Valencian culture
Representatives of prominent cultural institutions also attended, including Manuel Muñoz, President of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos; Nicolás Bugeda, President of the Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana; Blanca de la Torre, Director of the IVAM; Consuelo Císcar, former Director of the same institution; and Rafael Alcón, President of Fundación Bancaja. Artists and creators such as José María Yturralde, Carmen Calvo, Vicent Colom and José Cosme, as well as actress Empar Ferrer, from Mislata, also wished to join this final tribute.
The book of condolences made available to visitors by the Fundació Miquel Navarro filled with messages of affection and admiration for an artist whose work has left an iconic mark on public spaces both in Spain and abroad. These include Font pública, popularly known as ‘The Pink Panther’, and Parotet in València; l’Almassil in Mislata; Oteando in Torrelavega; and Bouche de lune in Brussels.
An artistic legacy with international reach
A leading figure in the New Spanish Sculpture movement, Miquel Navarro developed a distinctive artistic language throughout his career, achieving widespread international recognition. His sculptural cities, figures and constructions, found in museums, collections and public spaces in countries around the world, transformed the way we understand the relationship between sculpture, architecture and landscape. Yet his connection with Mislata, the city where he was born, lived and worked, always remained an essential part of his identity.
On Monday afternoon, his remains were laid to rest in the municipal cemetery of Siete Aguas, his mother’s home town and a place also closely connected with the artist’s personal and creative life. He had a country house there, which he used as a second home and where he installed some of his monumental sculptures.
A wish fulfilled and a commitment to preserving his memory
The creation of the Fundació Miquel Navarro was one of the artist’s great wishes, and one he lived to see fulfilled. The project was conceived to protect, preserve and promote his legacy, and received the constant support of Mislata Town Council from the outset, particularly from its Mayor, Carlos Fernández Bielsa, who is now President of the Foundation. The opening of the Casa Taller on 25 June, following renovation and adaptation works funded by the Diputació de València, was another particularly significant moment. Miquel was able to attend and share in the opening to the public of this space, which he had imagined as a place where people could encounter his work and come together with the community.
Now, in his absence, the Foundation assumes an even greater responsibility to keep his legacy alive. It will do so through the conservation, study and promotion of the works that the artist himself donated to the institution, as well as by organising exhibitions, educational activities and initiatives to promote art and culture. The Casa Taller will soon open to the general public as a place to explore his creative world, discover his work and continue the dialogue with society that he always sought to establish.
The loss of Miquel Navarro leaves an immense void in Valencian culture and the contemporary art world. On behalf of the Foundation, we would like to express our deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who shared his life and career.
Thank you, Miquel, for your work, your generosity and the legacy you have entrusted to us. It is now our responsibility to care for it and share it.