Antoni Tapies 1923 - 2012

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.