The son of Lluís Labarta, with whom he began his training, he studied at La Llotja, the Barcelona School of Fine Arts, where he was taught by J. Pascó and F. Soler Rovirosa. After travelling on a grant, he returned to Barcelona, where he founded the group Les Arts i els Artistes (The Arts and Artists) together with other painters. In spite of being an artist who fits perfectly into Noucentisme ("1900-ism", a term coined in 1906 to refer to 20th century Catalan culture), his early period was marked by his adaptation of Modernista forms when he collaborated with firms that were active in the movement.

He collaborated with the workshop belonging to Rigalt, Granell i Cia, and also did the designs for the mosaic panels in Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (1902-1930; Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167) together with the architect L. Domènech i Montaner.