Xavier Valls (1923 – 2006): A Painter’s Quiet Reverie Born in Barcelona on September 18th, 1923, Xavier Valls Subirà embarked upon an artistic journey shaped by formative encounters with influential sculptors and painters during the vibrant cultural exchange between Spain and Switzerland in the 1930s. This early exposure instilled within him a foundational understanding of visual art principles—a bedrock upon which his subsequent oeuvre would be built. His father, Magí Valls, a journalist and later teacher and translator, fostered an appreciation for intellectual pursuits alongside a deep co…