Josep Garí Gimeno (1886-1965). Un banquer victoriós

Abstract

Malgrat la seva rellevància a la banca barcelonina del primer terç del segle xx, la figura de Josep Garí Gimeno ha estat relativament poc estudiada. A banda del seu paper al capdavant de la banca Arnús-Garí i de diverses empreses, Josep Garí va ser pròxim a Francesc Cambó i Joan Ventosa. Després de fugir de Barcelona durant la guerra civil, va donar suport al règim franquista durant la resta de la seva vida, si bé les seves relacions amb aquest no van estar exemptes de friccions, incloent-hi un episodi que el va portar deu dies a la presó l’any 1953. L’estudi de Josep Garí s’emmarca també en el conflicte entre els sistemes borsaris de Madrid i Barcelona durant el primer terç del segle xx, que es va resoldre a favor de la capital amb el final de la guerra civil.

Despite his importance in the Barcelona banking industry during the first third of the twentieth century, Josep Garí Gimeno has received relatively little attention. In addition to his role as head of the Arnús-Garí bank and several companies, he was close to Francesc Cambó and Joan Ventosa. After fleeing from Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, he supported the Franco regime for the rest of his life, although his relations with the dictatorship were far from smooth, including an episode of imprisonment for ten days in 1953. The study of Josep Garí Gimeno is embedded in the conflict between the different stock exchange systems of Madrid and Barcelona during the first third of the twentieth century, which was resolved in favour of the system used in the capital with the end of the Spanish Civil War.