Antoni Tàpies

Biographical Sketch

Antoni Tàpies was born on Dec. 13, 1923 in Barcelona. Today this Catalan is one of the most renowned contemporary artists. From his Surrealist beginnings, he moved on to become an advocate of Informal Art, Conceptual Art and Arte Povera. Tàpies works in his own unmistakable artistic language: his paintings consist of signs and traces, of evidence, reduction and assemblage. Antoni Tàpies' began law studies. A heart and lung disease brought him to visit a sanatorium in the mountains in 1942, where he began drawing. Short study period at the Nolasc Valls Art Academy. Dedicated himself fully to painting after 1946, quitting law school. Studio on Carrer Jaume in Barcelona. In 1947 he met the poet Joan Brossa and the collector Joan Prats, a friend of Miró's. 'Dau al Set' was founded. First exhibits. Stipendium from the French Government: year-long sojourn in Paris. Involved with the emerging Tachisme movement and Informal painting (1950-51). Traveled through the USA. First paintings with impasto application of paint and addition of cement and sand (1953). Tàpies met the writer Michel Tapié (1954). His puncturing and cutting up of the canvas or support led to scandal. The step from painterly space to objet d'art was taken and he moved towards Conceptual Art. Soon Tàpies begins using cardboard, strings and unusually poor materials for his scholarly search, Arte Povera finds its way into his works. At the same time, in 1959, Sala Gaspar in Barcelona published his first lithographs. Printing became an important medium for him. The elementary forms of his paintings appeared in his lithographs as well as in his etchings, the dark grounds, impressions, traces, but also classical signs, numbers and letters. Tàpies wholly commited himself through his work for the freedom of artistic expression as well as of Catalonia and its culture. His essays in biography and art criticism are excellent reflections of Tàpies' spiritual stance. They constitute one of the most distinctive collections of writings on art of our times and at the same time reflect the core of Catalan spiritual life (cf. Editions Erker Verlag, St. Gallen). Exhibits throughout the world, honors and awards acknowledge his work. In 1987, the artist founds the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona, with its spacious museum and its East Asian Library. The foundation publishes descriptions of his works and writings by the artist. It also runs its own printing workshop. ek

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References:

Barbara Catoir: Gespräche mit Antoni Tàpies mit einer Einführung zum gesamten Werk. Prestel Verlag 1987;

Antoni Tàpies: collected works translated from Catalan into German, Erker Verlag, St.Gallen:

Die Praxis der Kunst (published 1976/1981);

Kunst kontra Ästhetik (1983/1994);

Erinnerungen I/II (published 1988);

Kunst und Spiritualität (1993);

Die Wirklichkeit als Kunst (1995);

Further references:

Katalog Antoni Tàpies. Arbeiten 1947 - 1988. Kunstverein Bayreut. Dorothea van der Koelen Verlag - Mainz 1990.

Descriptions of his Works:

Mariuccia Galfetti: Tàpies. Das graphische Werk / L'oeuvre gravé 1947-1972 and 1973-1978. Erker-Verlag St.Gallen 1975 (1990) 1984

Register of Works to 1975 in Three Volumes: Anna Agustí: Tàpies. The complete Works. Fundació Antoni Tàpies / Edicions Polígrafa S.A., Barcelona.

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Note:

The references given are not meant as a list of the best works available on the subject, but simply reflect the author's sources.

Registers and catalogues of works are included when known and correspond to the information given in the index.ti