Closing the door on creativity

“Whilst the Americans weren’t shy to show off Hopper, we were unwilling to do so with Roca Sastre”. This reflection on the Catalan realist painter, by Francesc Fontbona, interviewed today by Maria Palau, summarizes the grandness of our country. It is and has been a cradle of artists and advocates of our values. Catalonia and Catalans should, however, have a much broader outlook on our artistic capital. Perhaps shaped by the significance that we have put on language, our cultural universe is occupied almost exclusively by the literary. There is room for a few universally known artists, but the bouncer at the door of the Cultural Club is blocking entry to a large number of good, nay, excellent, artists all around the country.