Antoni Tàpies

ANTONI TÀPIES PUIG (Barcelona, 1923 - 2012).
"Vela i Creu".1978.
Engraving, copy P.A.
Print run of 75 copies.
Referenced in Tàpies Vol.II, p.249, nº 684, G.G. publisher.
Signed and justified by hand.
Measurements: 65 x 50 cm; 77,5 x 63 cm (frame).

During the 1970s, Tàpies' graphic work reaches a great symbolic and material-expressive intensity. The composition of "Vela i Creu" is articulated by means of organic stains, graphics and signs that seem to emerge from an eroded surface, evoking a fragment of matter altered by time. This type of surface, recurrent in Tàpies' work, turns the image into a space of inscription where the signs acquire an archaeological and meditative character.

Among these signs, the cross stands out, one of the most constant motifs in the artist's iconography. In Tàpies' work, the cross functions as a universal and open sign. It can refer to the point of intersection between the material and the spiritual, and even a simple graphic gesture that marks, points or denies.

The red accents and the gestural strokes that cross the composition intensify the expressive charge of the print, generating a contrast with the veiled areas of the background.

The fact that it is an artist's proof adds a particular interest, as it is part of a small group of prints reserved outside the ordinary print run.

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, his work is present in institutions such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), the MACBA (Barcelona) and 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.