Antoni Tapies 1923 -

Tąpies (full name - Antoni Tąpies i Puig, 1st Marquis of Tąpies) was born in Barcelona on 13 December 1923. He is a Catalan painter and one of the most famous European artists of his generation. 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 the Second World War.

In 1950 he held his first solo 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 Tąpies.

In 1948, Tąpies helped co-found the first Post-War Movement in Spain known as Dau-al-Set which was connected to the Surrealist and Dadaist Movements. The main leader and founder of Dau-al-Set was the poet Joan Brossa. The movement also had a publication of the same name, Dau-al-Set. Tąpies started as a surrealist painter, his early works were influenced by Paul Klee and Joan Miró; but soon become an informal artist, working in a style known as "pintura matérica", 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). He established his international reputation through participation in the 1958 Venice Biennale. From the late 50s to early 60s, Tąpies worked with Enrique Tįbara, Antonio Saura, Manolo Millares and many other Spanish Informalist artists. From about 1970 (influenced by Pop art) he began incorporating more substantial objects into his paintings, such as parts of furniture. Tąpies's ideas have had worldwide influence on art, especially in the realms of painting, sculpture, etchings and lithography. Examples of his work are found in numerous major international collections. Fundació Tąpies (created in Barcelona in 1984 by the artist to promote the study and knowledge of modern and contemporary art) is a cultural centre and museum dedicated to his life and work. Tąpies currently is living in Barcelona and is represented by The Pace Gallery in New York.