The painter, sculptor, and writer Lluïsa Sallent has passed away at 92, leaving a legacy that places her among the great figures of Catalan figurative art.
The Ripollet artist Lluïsa Sallent has passed away at 92, as confirmed by the Town Hall of Ripollet. Born on December 12, 1934, in the Pont Vell neighbourhood, she was popularly known as “Lluïsa de la Ferreria,” due to her family ties to the lands of the current Ferreria industrial estate.
As a young woman, she studied at the School of the Dominican Sisters and actively participated in the cultural life of the municipality. At 19, she began a period as a haute couture model before settling in Barcelona, although she always maintained a strong connection to her hometown.
Her artistic vocation was consolidated in 1966 under the guidance of painter Pere Pruna, with whom she trained through direct observation. In 1979, sculptor Joan Rebull introduced her to the world of sculpture. Without formal studies in Fine Arts, she developed a figurative style of classical inspiration with a very personal contemporary sensitivity.
Her sculptural work, primarily created in marble, alabaster, travertine, and bronze, focused on the female body, with compositions that convey serenity, strength, and balance. In painting, she excelled in drawing mastery and expressive brushwork. Works such as Somni de pedra and Solejant-se, preserved in the Vila Casas Foundation, are part of her legacy.
In addition to exhibiting in numerous galleries, she pursued literature with her memoirs Vidas y apariencias (2011) and the biographical novel Fortuny, retrato de una pasión, dedicated to painter Marià Fortuny.
The figure of Lluïsa Sallent is present in the permanent exhibition “Protagonistas. Ripolletencs que dejan huella” at the Molí d'en Rata Heritage Interpretation Centre. Notably, last July 2026, the artist donated a painting that has become part of the local collection, as her final wish.
With her passing, Ripollet loses one of its most universal creators, whose work stands as a testament to a life dedicated to art and the memory of her land.
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