Apprentice at the studio of Josep Llimona and a student of the Escola de la Llotja [Llotja School], Enric Casanovas (Barcelona, 1882 – 1948) began his career at Els Quatre Gats Café [The Four Cats], where he exhibited his work for the first time in 1903. That same year he moved to Paris where he focused on his art alongside Picasso, Maillol, Gargallo, Manolo Hugué, Ramon Pichot, and Joaquim Sunyer.

During his visits to Barcelona, he took part in Quim Borralleras’ salons and became part of the Les Arts i els Artistes [Arts and Artists] association linked to Noucentisme. In his works, Casanovas reflects the austere and solid feminine idea that Eugenio d’Ors propounded in his novel La ben plantada [The Elegant Woman] (1911). He collaborated with La Revista magazine and the decorative arts school of Joaquín Torres.

During the Spanish Civil War he joined the Alianza de Intelectuales Antifascistas para la Defensa de la Cultura [Alliance of Antifascist Intellectuals for the Defense of Culture]. He moved to Tossa de Mar and became director of the municipal museum, which included works by artists such as Marc Chagall or André Masson, who spent time in the city. In 1939, the artist and his family were exiled to France. They did not return to Catalonia until 1942. After spending a few months in prison, Casanovas continued his artistic work in the Guinardó neighborhood of Barcelona, where he died.