彼は別れしなに僕をギュッと抱きしめると、何か耳元でささやいた。それは昨年の4月29日、春の気まぐれな冷気ただようバルセロナでの別れだった。
彼との約束を果たそうと帰国したものの、突然、僕は体調を崩し丸一年を棒に振った。遅れを取り戻すべく動き回ったこの半年、いくつかの成果が上がった。彼も喜んでくれるにちがいなかった。
「もう少しだね」
と…。
彼と初めて会ったのは、ガウディが生まれ育ったリウドムスというスペインの田舎町だった。ある記念式典の貴賓席に座っていた。知人から紹介され彼と話をしていると、隣に座っていた中年の女性が嬉しそうにこう言った。
「私と結婚して夫は歩けるようになったんですよ」
「ムイ・ビエン!(そりゃすごい)」
五年前に結婚した彼は三回目の再婚で92歳。歩けるようになったことも、すごいことだが、この歳にして若い嫁を迎えることが、なんともすごいことではないか。これがきっかけで気難しそうに見える彼の表情も和らぎ、話が思わぬ方向に展開したのだった。後から思えば、どうもこれが若妻の心づかいだったようだ。彼女は、夫の教え子の教え子だという。西欧では年齢の差ってあまり気にしないようだ。
その一週間後、バルセロナの彼の自宅に知人と招かれ、ある企画を実現する約束をしたのだった。ガウディと同時代に活躍した建築家ビラセカが設計した自宅マンションは、ガウディのカサ・カルベットのすぐ近く。下の画像はその時に撮影したビデオだ。

あれから一年半、ジュゼップ・マリア・ガルーが今月11日に逝去した、という知らせが先日届いた。あのとき彼が僕の耳元でささいた言葉が聞こえたような気がした。
「ミ・アミーゴ。アスタ・ルエゴ」(友よ、また会おう)
という声が…。
無念。
彼の訃報を知ったのは、『ガウディ&バルセロナクラブ』というウェブサイトが発行するニューズレターだった。ウェブサイトからは読めないので、その内容をここに紹介しておきたい。
ガルーさんは建築史家であり、「ガウディ博物館」(The Gaudí House Museum)の館長を長年に渡ってつとめ、ガウディとガウディ建築を世界に紹介してこられた方だ。掲載された弔文は、二人の最も著名なガウディの紹介者から寄せられている。一人は、「ガウディ生誕150年祭」を指揮したり「カサ・ミラ」の展示館やさまざまな企画をされているジラール氏、もう一人はガウディ研究の第一人者バセゴダ氏である。
<from Gaudí y Barcelona Club mailing: Gaudi News Winter 2008>
• OBITUARY OF MR. GARRUT
Our friend and collaborator, Josep Garrut i Sanroma has left us, a lamentable loss that we feel in the deepest part of our beings. A person of indomitable will who during the long years of his existence was ready for a fight until the final moments of his life, always offering us his collaboration and friendship.
I remember the last time we were together, it was last summer, specifically the 23rd of June, for the celebration of 125 years of the Gaudi alterpiece project for the Capilla de la Santisima de la Iglesia de San Feliu de Alella. Despite the usual aches and pains due to his advanced age, his usual conversation and optimism were clearly visible and nothing signalled his extremely sad demise. May he Rest in Peace.
Josep Giralt
Josep Mª Garrut i Sanroma
Art historian and critic born in Barcelona in 1915, he dedicated part of his long life to creating awareness of the history of Barcelona and the history of Art in Catalunya. Academic of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi and decorated with the Sant Jordi Cross, he died in Barcelona on the 11th of December 2008 at 93 years of age.
STUDIES
Graduate in Arts and Sciences from the University of Barcelona, he specialised in museography and history of art in Paris, Munich and Rome, and also studied plastic arts at the Sant Jordi Fine Arts High School where, in 2006, when it was then the Fine Arts Faculty of the University of Barcelona, he finalised his doctorate studies with the thesis The Timeless Universe of Gaudi.
HISTORY AND LIFE
Fervent admirer and devotee of Gaudi, his thesis was the culmination of a long and intense dedication to the artist, who he knew personally. He devoted almost all his life to him, as an academic, as recuperator of his work, as vicepresident of the Association of Friends of Gaudi and as director of the Gaudi House-Museum of Güell Park, since its foundation in 1963 until his death.
• OBITUARY FROM PROFESSOR BASSEGODA, CHAIRMAN OF THE GAUDI CHAIR
DEATH OF THE DEAN OF THE GAUDINIANS
Jose Maria Garrut Roma (1915-2008) during his life was an art critic, a writer, draftsman and academic, of nativities and, especially, of the work of Gaudi. Having lived in Arcs street as a youngster, he could remember Gaudi when he was alive. For many years he was Vicepresident of the Association of Friends of Gaudi and curator of the Gaudi House-Museum in the Güell Park, about which he published a complete guide. He was a friend of Salvador Dali, who he frequently visited in Port Lligat, he was a profesor in the School of Fine Arts and director of the History Museum of the City. In December of 2005, at ninety years of age, he read his doctoral thesis, entitled "L'Univers intemporal de Gaudi" which he presented with great success and energy at the San Jorge School of Fine Arts, obtaining the highest grade Summa cum laude nemine discrepante. In 1977 he became tenured at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Jorge.
His book about Catalan painting from the XIX and XX centuries is a classic on the subject and together with many other articles in newspapers and magazines accredit him as an excellent writer in both Catalan and Castilian Spanish.
Throughout his life he experienced very happy times, such as a homage paid to him during an academic event in the Royal Chapel of Santa Agueda, or unpleasant times such as when he was on the front line in the civil war and met Durruti. A cordial and affable man, he devoted himself to explaining the artistic beauties of Barcelona from a body he presided over in the History Museum of the City. May he Rest in Peace and bask in the knowledge that he fulfilled his duty in spades.
Juan Bassegoda Nonell
President of the Friends of Gaudi
以上。
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