Antoni Tàpies

ANTONI TÀPIES PUIG (Barcelona, 1923 - 2012).
Series "Als mestres de Catalunya", 1974.
Engraved silkscreen on Guarro paper, copy 57/75.
Signed and numbered by hand.
Justified in the catalog raisonné "Antoni Tàpies. Obra gráfica 1974-1972", p.180, nº 294.
Edited and printed by Polígrafa.
Measurements: 210 x 100 cm.

This work belongs to one of the most representative series of Antoni Tàpies' graphic production during the 1970s, a time when the artist fully consolidated his material and symbolic language within European Informalism. In "Als mestres de Catalunya", Tàpies deploys a repertoire of signs characteristic of his iconography -crosses, graphisms, letters and dense stains- that evoke writing, memory and spiritual reflection.

The use of screen printing allows him to transfer the material intensity of his painting to the graphic medium, reproducing dense textures and a very physical gesturality. This procedure was fundamental in Tàpies' collaboration with Polígrafa, one of the most important graphic edition workshops in Barcelona, which contributed decisively to the international diffusion of his work.

Also noteworthy is the large format of the piece, which is unusual in graphic work. This size gives the work an almost pictorial dimension and brings it closer to the scale of his compositions on canvas, making it a piece of strong visual impact and relevance within his serial production.

The title of the series refers to a tribute to the Catalan cultural tradition, a recurrent aspect in the artist's work during the final years of Franco's regime, when his work also acquires a symbolic dimension linked to identity and collective memory.

Antoni Tàpies is one of the leading figures of European art in the second half of the 20th century and the leading exponent of Informalism in Spain. Co-founder of the Dau al Set group, he developed his own language based on material-gestural experimentation, integrating signs, graphics and symbolic elements with a strong spiritual and existential charge.

His work is present in institutions such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), the MACBA (Barcelona) or the Fondation Maeght (Saint-Paul-de-Vence), among many others. Awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale and the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, his graphic production constitutes a fundamental chapter in his career and maintains a solid demand in the international market.