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Antoni Tàpies

"Changing material is unecessary unless to enhance a signification."

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Notes of biography

Antoni Tàpies was born in 1923 in Barcelona (Spain). He followed at the same time Law studies and drawing studies (Valls academy, 1943). A military uprising led by the general Francisco Franco, and originally from Morocco, quickly spreads in all Spain and makes burst the civil war. Antoni Tapiès stayed in Spain and was an opponent of the dictator. He will always keep in mind this atrocious war.
In 1948, he is a co-founder of the group "Dau al Set" and the review of the same name. He makes Joan Miro’s acquaintance. At first he belongs to the surrealist movement, then is interested in the philosophy and in the oriental art, notably in the calligraphy. Tapiès transmutes the most different materials, often the poorest, into pictorial signs.
His first personal exhibition is organized in 1950. The artist adds colours and fossils in thickened blocks of glue, sand or plaster which will become « walls which will carry the martyr testimony of our people ». The artist uses newspapers, ends of thread for collages full of provocation.
In 1951 in Paris, he meets Braque, Picasso, discovers the informal art with Dubuffet and Fautrier, as well as Michel Tapié's writtings. The artist reverts to more representational compositions in the late 60's. The cross becomes a recurring mark in his work; painted work, etched work, managed all together. His torn up and scratched compositions continue to express a rebellious attitude. Imprints and tracks express an internal consideration.
With the beginning of the 80s, Tapiès creates "installations", devotes to the arts of the ceramic and the mosaic. From 1962, important museums organized retrospectives of his work (Hanover in 1962, Vienna in 1968, Museum of modern Art of Paris in 1973, itinerant review in the United States in 1988, etc.).
Antoni Tapiès writes several works of reflection on the art: Pràtica of the art (1970), the Art countered Estetica (1974). In 1984, he opened his foundation in Barcelona, city in which he lived and worked. The artist died February 6, 2012, he was 88.

Artists on display

The art and the artists display: proclamations, galleries, museums, personal or collective exhibitions. On walls or in shop windows, wise or rebels, posters warn, argue, show. Some were specially conceived by an artist for such or such event, other, colder, have only the letter.

Some were created in lithographic technic, most are simple offset reproductions. They are many those who like collecting these rectangles of paper, monochrome or in games of colours, in matt paper or brilliant, with many words or almost dumb.

We are happy also to be able to greet, by this pages, mythical galleries as those of Denise René, Louis Carré, Claude Bernard, Berheim Jeune, Maeght, Pierre Loeb and others.

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Complete work(s)

Complete work(s)
All the complete works

Bibliographic track and more

To read about the artist :
  • « Antoni Tàpies », L. Alloway, Solomon, Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1962
  • « Tàpies », G. Raillart, Ed Maeght, Paris, 1976
  • « Tàpies », L. Permanyer, Cercle d’Art, Paris, 1986
  • « Conversations, Antoni Tàpies », Barbara Catoir, Ed. Cercle d'art, 1988
  • « Tàpies : Œuvres 1945-1968 », Michel Tapié, Ed. Celiv, 1990
  • « Tapies, la substance et les accidents», Jean Frémon, Ed. Unes, 1991
  • « Tàpies », A. Franske, Cercle d’Art, Paris, 1993
  • « Tàpies ou la poétique de la matière », Jean Frémon et autres, Ed. BNF, 2001
  • « A corps perdu », Jean-Louis Andral, in Empreintes, Ed. Mille Sources, 2004
  • « Antoni Tàpies », Jeremy Roe, Ed. Parkstone, 2006
To read from the artist :
  • « La Pratique de l'Art », Ed. Gallimard, 1994
  • « Oeuvres - Ecrits - Entretiens », Youssef Ishaghpour, Ed. Hazan, 2006
Website :
www.fundaciotapies.com

More :


Art movements

+ LYRIC ART, ABSTRACT, TACHISM / 1950-1960 / Jackson Pollock, Emil Schumacher, etc.
All art movements

See & discover

Beyond works currently in stock, it seemed to me useful to combine business with pleasure by letting you discover others works by artists in my gallery. These artworks, now sold or removed from our website, have been in our stock in the past.

These pages will undoubtedly make it possible for some of you to associate an image with its title or the other way round, for others it will be a good time to discover more on such and such artist. For the sake of confidentiality – the pieces being no longer available – we won't display neither their numbering or their price. For whatever reason, make sure to visit this amazing art database with to date 6441 online works just for your pleasure! Michelle Champetier

See & discover