Artist Details

Antoni Tapies

Portfolio

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Born in Barcelona in 1923, Tapies is considered one of the great master artists of the 20th century. He has devoted his life to painting since 1943. His first solo exhibition was in 1950 in Barcelona. In 1948 he helped found the first Post-War Art Movement in Spain, “Dau-al-set” which had roots in Surrealism and Dada.
Tapies early surrealist works were influenced by artists such as Klee and Miro. He soon developed towards abstract expressionism, working in the “Arte Povera” style (incorporating non artistic materials into the paintings). This was the beginning of what is considered his most innovative contribution to art, his use of clay and marble dust among other materials. His interest in matter- earth, dust, particles and atoms was much affected by the dropping of the atomic bomb. His work can be seen as reactionary to political and social events of the time.
By the sixties his reputation as an artist was well established internationally. From 1970 he began to incorporate more substantial objects such as pieces of furniture, but always stamping them with his own mark and making them part of his own unique language.
In his later work there is a heightened interest in Eastern culture, especially the relationship between man and nature and the rejection of the dualism in Western society.
His most recent work is influenced by Buddhist thought and is essentially a reflection on physical and spiritual pain.
Tapies is seen as one of the most important living artists today and as a master of the various print media
In Barcelona the “Fundacio Tapies” is dedicated to his life and work.