Lluís Graner

Spain · 1863–1929

Lluís Graner i Arrufí, or Arrufat in Spanish was a Catalan painter in the Realistic style, artistic director and theater entrepreneur from Barcelona, Spain. After achieving notable success in painting, he moved into lighting design for theatrical shows and developed the Catalan lyrical theater genre of "musical visions". He was the owner of the sala Mercè, on Barcelona's Rambla, where he established the first stable season of cinematograph sessions and musical visions. In 1905 he won the competition for the lease of Barcelona's Teatro Principal, where he set up the company Espectacles-Audicions Graner. Under his artistic direction, notable pieces of Catalan lyric theater were premiered, such as La santa espina, by Enric Morera and Àngel Guimerà.