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More Torent
Descobrim la figura d’Eveli Torent, pintor i il·lustrador, poc conegut però de personalitat i trajectòria sorprenents , nascut a Badalona el 1876. Forjat a l’entorn d’Els 4 Gats, epicentre crucial del modernisme català, es relaciona aleshores amb Picasso, que entre els anys 1899 i 1900 realitza tres retrats al carbó de Torent, i també amb Carles Casagemas, Joaquim Mir i Hermen Anglada Camarasa.
Between Els Quatre Gats and Freemasonry
Like many other artists of his time, Eveli Torent went to Paris in the early 20th century in search of new opportunities. He had an entrepreneurial spirit, taking part in Salon des Indépendants in 1902 and showing his work at Berthe Weill’s gallery for the first time in 1903. While in Paris, he continued showing his work regularly until 1914.
In the world of illustration, Torent began working with the top Catalan magazines of the time, such as Luz, L’Esquella de la Torratxa and Hispania. In Paris, he continued developing this part of his career, contributing to publications like L’Assiette au Beurre, La Vie Parisienne and Le Rire.
An innate penchant for adventure, he moved to New York in 1914, where he quickly got in with Latino social circles and philanthropic organisations with ties to the Freemasons, with which he maintained close ties the rest of his life. When he returned to Barcelona in late 1919, Torent began a new chapter in his personal and professional lives, opening a study on Plaça Medinaceli and teaching drawing and decorative arts.
In 1922, he bought an old watchtower known as Torre d’en Rovira in Sant Josep, Ibiza and turned it into his summer residence. He built a museum there with archaeological artefacts and a one-of-a-kind park with monuments featuring Freemasonry symbols. Over time, it became a tourist attraction and he styled himself the “Gran Califa d’es Pallaret” (Caliph of Es Palleret), a peculiar character that welcomed visitors with his very special hospitality.
Torent was incarcerated at the Barcelona Model prison in 1939 for his ties to the Freemasons and died the following year, shortly after being released.
