Antoni Tàpies

ANTONI TÀPIES (Barcelona, 1923–2012).
“Llull.”
Etching on paper. Edition 30/45.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Measurements: 39.5 x 52 cm (print); 56.5 x 75 cm (paper).

In “Llull,” Antoni Tàpies creates a composition of great restraint, in which the space on the paper is animated by minimal signs, stains, strokes, and symbolic elements. The title refers to Ramon Llull, a key figure in medieval Catalan thought, whose work united philosophy, mysticism, language, and system. Tàpies does not literally depict Llull, but rather evokes him through a vocabulary of signs, crosses, markings, and spatial relationships that suggest knowledge, spiritual quest, and thought in motion.

The composition is organized around an almost empty field, traversed by a large cross, an earthy stain, small inscriptions, and a red element located in the lower section, which acts as the visual focal point. The economy of means intensifies the tension between matter and sign: each stroke seems to carry the weight of a note, a mark, or a fragment of writing suspended above the surface. The print thus takes on a mental dimension, akin to a diagram, a manuscript, or an intervened wall.

Antoni Tàpies was one of the key figures in postwar European art. A co-founder of Dau al Set, he developed his own artistic language linked to Informalism, materiality, the sign, and the spirituality of everyday life. His work is represented in institutions such as the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Museo Reina Sofía, MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate in London.