Josep Mª Cadena

Josep Mª Cadena was born in Barcelona on the 6th of September 1935. He was a journalist and art critic. He has worked in the EFE agency, El Diario de Barcelona – he wrote a section called Gentes de Pluma y lápiz paying homage to painters and draftsmen before Franco’s dictatorship. In Avui newspaper he was the first subdirector, the Director being Josep Faulí, of the first daily newspaper printed in Catalan after Franco’s death. At La Hoja del lunes he was the Director during its final stage – and at the Periódico de Cataluña he excelled as the critic of the exhibited works of more than three thousand artists over 25 years. In 1966, he was founder member of the Democratic Group of Journalists of Barcelona. He has been the technical secretary of the former Press Association of Barcelona and Director of the current Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya, general secretary of the Information Council of Catalonia and professor in journalism schools and in the Communication Sciences Faculty of Bellaterra. He has received the Mañer y Flaquer award of journalism, the award Premio Ciudad de Barcelona and the Creu de Sant Jordi for his articles "through which he has spread our history and our culture and by the incisive spirit and the erudite originality as an art critic". He is also president of the Xavier Nogués Foundation and of the Gin Foundation; he is member of the board of Directors of the foundations Rafael Benet and Salvador Alibau. He has published over eighty books on topics of art and historical analysis.