Antoni Tàpies

ANTONI TÀPIES (Barcelona, 1923 - 2012).
"Totem", 1988.
Etching, aquatint and carborundum. Copy 27/45.
Signed and numbered by hand.
Work catalogued in Tàpies. Obra gráfica 1987-1994, Barcelona, Ed. Gustavo Gili, 2009.
Measurements: 200 × 98 cm.

Antoni Tàpies constructs here an image of strong ritual resonance, dominated by a large vertical presence that imposes itself as emblem, wall and archaic sign. The work participates in this material universe in which the artist turns the surface into a territory of memory, wear and tear and revelation, where each stain, scratch or graphism seems to emerge from a matter charged with time.

The composition is articulated by means of wide fields of black, eroded grays and bluish glazes, worked with a physical intensity that brings the engraving closer to his mural paintings. Etching, aquatint and carborundum allow the creation of a rough and deep texture, on which emerge signs, incisions and gestures of spontaneous appearance, charged with a contained expressiveness.

The title, Totem, reinforces this archaic and ceremonial reading. Tàpies transforms a humble, everyday motif - the footstep - into an emblem of memory, body and existence. The monumentality of the format turns the engraving into a resounding presence, where matter, gesture and symbol are fused in an image of intense spiritual charge.

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.