- Antoni Tàpies
Antoni Tàpies (born in
Barcelona ,December 13 ,1923 ) is a Spanish Catalan painter. He is considered a great master artist of the 20th century. After studying law for 3 years, he devoted himself from 1943 onwards only to his painting. He is perhaps the best-known Catalan artist to emerge in the period since theSecond World War .In 1950 he held his first shash exhibition, at Galeries Laietanes, Barcelona. In the early 50s he lived in Paris, to where he has often returned. Both in Europe and beyond, the highly influential French critic and curator
Michel Tapié (no relation, despite the similar name) enthusiastically promoted the work of Antoni Tàpies.In 1948, Tàpies helped co-found the first Post-War Movement in Spain known as
Dau-al-Set which was connected to theSurrealist andDadaist Movements. The main leader and founder of Dau-al-Set was the poetJoan Brossa . The movement also had a publication of the same name, "Dau-al-Set". Tàpies started as asurrealist painter, his early works were influenced byPaul Klee andJoan Miró ; but soon become anabstract expressionist , working in a style known as "Arte Povera ", in which non artistic materials are incorporated into the paintings. In 1953 he began working in mixed media; this is considered his most original contribution to art. One of the first to create serious art in this way, he added clay and marble dust to his paint and used waste paper, string, and rags (Grey and Green Painting, Tate Gallery, London, 1957).His international reputation was well established by the end of the 50s. From the late 50's to early 60's, Tàpies worked with
Enrique Tábara ,Antonio Saura ,Manolo Millares and many other Spanish Informalist artists. From about 1970 (influenced byPop art ) he began incorporating more substantial objects into his paintings, such as parts of furniture. Tàpies's ideas have had worldwide influence on art, especially in the realms paintings, sculpture, etchings and lithography. Examples of his work are found in numerous major international collections.Fundació Tàpies , in Barcelona, is a museum dedicated to his life and work.References
* Antoni Tàpies and
Michel Tapié . [http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/1090149?tab=details "Antonio Tapies"] [sic] ,New York , G. Wittenborn, 1959.OCLC 1090149 [Note: this Worldcat listing gives the painter's first name as "Antonio" in the title, also omitting the accent mark in the surname.]
* Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. [http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/2272922&referer=brief_results "Antoni Tàpies"] New York [©1962] OCLC: 2272922External links
* [http://www.arasgallery.com/profile.php?id=42 Artist Biography]
* [http://www.unesco.org/artcollection/DetailAction.do?idOeuvre=1575 The UNESCO Works of Art Collection]
* [http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/tapies_antoni.html Artcyclopedia on Antoni Tàpies]
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9071241/Antoni-Tapies Britannica article]
* [http://www.michelfillion.com/oeuvres.php?artiste=TAPIES Art gallery showing works of Tapiès]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.