Antoni Tapies

Antoni Tàpies is a Spanish painter born in Barcelona on December 13, 1923. He is considered to be one of the most famous European artists of his era. Before devoting himself to being an artist starting from from 1943, he studied law for 3 years. He is perhaps the best-known Catalan artist to emerge in the period since the Second World War.

He held his first solo exhibition in 1950, at the Galeries Laietane in Barcelona. In the early 50s he moved Paris we he lived and painted for many years, and where he would return throughout his career. Both in Europe and abroad, the highly authoritative French critic and curator Michel Tapié (no relation, despite having a similar name) vigorously promoted Antoni Tàpies paintings.

Click here to continue reading about this artist

In 1948 Antoni Tàpies was one of the co-founders of the first Post-War art movement in Spain known as Dau-al-Set which was connected to the well known Surrealist and Dadaist Movements. The other co-founder of Dau-al-Set was the influential poet Joan Brossa. The movement also had a periodical of the same name, Dau-al-Set. Tàpies began hi career as a surrealist painter, his early painting style was shaped by artist such as Paul Klee and Joan Miró; but in time became an informal artist, painting in a style known as “pintura matérica”. Pintura Matérica is a style of painting which uses non artistic materials that are integrated into the paintings. In 1953 he began working in mixed media; which is perhaps his most innovative contribution to the art world.

By the end of the 1950’s his international reputation was well rooted. Starting in the late 50s to the early 60s, Tàpies began working with artists Antonio Saura, Enrique Tábara, Manolo Millares and several other Spanish Informalist artists. Beginning in the1970’s (perhaps motivated by Pop art) he began to incorporate more significant objects into his paintings, like broken pieces of furniture and so forth. Tàpies’s contributions have had a tremendous influence on art all over the world, particularly in the areas of painting, etchings, lithography and sculpture. Examples of his work can be found in major art collections the world over. His work is often associated with Tachisme and Abstract Expressionism.

Fundació Tàpies, is an art museum located in Barcelona, Spain which is dedicated to his life and work. At the time of this writing he is living in Barcelona and his work is represented by The Pace Gallery, New York.

Tàpies was raised into the Spanish nobility by King Juan Carlos I on April 9, 2010 with the hereditary title of Marqués de Tàpies (or Marquess of Tàpies).