Antoni Tàpies

ANTONI TÀPIES (Barcelona, 1923 - 2012).
Untitled, 1960.
Etching and embossing on paper. Artist's proof of an edition of 50 copies.
Slight discolorations in the lower corners and slight damp stain in the lower left corner. .
Signed and justified.
Measurements: 89 x 64,5 cm.
The work is part of a work included in a portfolio of seven pieces, edited by Sala Gaspar and printed by Foto-Repro. The composition, dominated by a large monochrome surface delimited by a gestural frame of black strokes, shows Tàpies' interest in reducing the image to essential structures charged with physical and conceptual resonances. The chromatic austerity and the eroded appearance of the surface refer to a conception of painting understood more as an object and a material experience than as a figurative representation.The work has an evident compositional relationship with the painting Ventana al vacío from 1965, belonging to the Fundación Santander collection. In both pieces, Tàpies articulates the pictorial space by means of a closed or delimited central structure that symbolically evokes the idea of a window, wall or threshold.

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.