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Antoni Tàpies, 391, 2001, mixed media and collage on canvas, 59-1/16" × 59-1/16" (150 cm × 150 cm) © 2019 Fundació Antoni T``apies / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, VEGAP, Madrid

Antoni Tàpies

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Details:

b. 1923, Barcelona
d. 2012, Barcelona

Antoni Tàpies refined a visual language inspired by a wide range of sources that coalesce into a complex fusion of materials, gestures, and symbols.

His exploration of Surrealist imagery early in his career served as the foundation for an ongoing investigation into the nature of physical objects and their materiality. Tàpies’ work embodied his extensive personal experience and history, and of his native Spain and specifically Catalonia. As Tàpies’ use of tangible materials for making art emphasize physical transformation, spiritual transformation is evoked through signs and symbols drawn from Eastern and Western cultures.

Tàpies participated in three Venice Biennale exhibitions (1952, 1954, 1958) prior to being selected to represent Spain at the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993, during which he was presented with the Biennale’s Award for Painting. In 1984, the artist established the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona to promote the education and exhibition of modern and contemporary art. The foundation remounted one of the first exhibitions at its museum, from 1992, titled Profound Certainty, on view through 2019.

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Antoni Tàpies, Tenalles blanques, 2002, paint on canvas, 64" × 102-3/4" (162.6 cm × 261 cm) © 2019 Fundació Antoni T``apies / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, VEGAP, Madrid

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Antoni Tàpies, Senyalant, 1993, paint and pencil on paper, 31-5/16" × 42-1/2" (79.5 cm × 108 cm) © 2019 Fundació Antoni T``apies / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, VEGAP, Madrid

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Antoni Tàpies, Blanc sobre negre II, 1999, paint on paper, 20-1/16" × 25-9/16" (51 cm × 64.9 cm) © 2019 Fundació Antoni T``apies / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, VEGAP, Madrid

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Antoni Tàpies, Rodona de vernis, 1997, pencil and varnish on paper, 22-1/16" × 29-15/16" (56 cm × 76 cm) © 2019 Fundació Antoni T``apies / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, VEGAP, Madrid