Antoni Tàpies

ANTONI TÀPIES PUIG (Barcelona, 1923 - 2012).
"Oval", 1987. Oval (Series "ú no es ningú"). 1979
Etching, aquatint and relief carborundum on Guarro paper, copy H.C.
Signed and justified in pencil. Numbered XX/LXXXII of an edition of 82 num I/LXXXII-LXXXII/LXXXII/LXXXII + 10 HC+ 10 PA
Work reproduced in:-Mariuccia Galfetti and Nuria Homs,Tàpies: Obra gráfica 1979-1986(Catalogue raisonné) Ed. Gustavo Gili, SA, Barcelona, 2002, nº 728, p.40
Measurements: 56,5 x 71 cm (paper); 70,5 x 86 cm (frame)

This work is coherently integrated into the conceptual and symbolic core of Antoni Tàpies' mature production, when his graphic language reaches an extreme synthesis between matter, sign and thought. Oval belongs to the series ú no és ningú, a title already loaded with philosophical and existential resonances, which alludes to the dissolution of the self, the negation of individualism and the anonymous condition of the human being.

The composition is structured around a large, dark, almost stony central oval, which acts as the nucleus of visual and symbolic gravity. The oval, a recurring form in Tàpies' work, can be interpreted as body, void, stone, wound or inner space: a place of concentration of energy and silence. In contrast to the closed geometry of the oval, the red background is worked in a gestural manner, with sweeps, stains and traces that evoke tension, contained violence and vital impulse. Red, an essential color for Tàpies, refers simultaneously to blood, life, pain and spirituality.

Co-founder of "Dau al Set" in 1948, Tàpies began to exhibit at the Salones de Octubre in Barcelona. Tàpies' work has been highly valued internationally, being exhibited in the most prestigious museums in the world. Throughout his career he has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Praemium Imperiale of Japan, the National Culture Award, the Grand Prize for Painting in France, the Wolf Foundation of the Arts (1981), the Gold Medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya (1983), the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts (1990), the Picasso Medal of Unesco (1993) and the Velázquez Prize for the Plastic Arts (2003). Antoni Tàpies is represented in major museums around the world, such as the foundation that bears his name in Barcelona, the Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Guggenheim in Berlin, Bilbao and New York, the Fukoka Art Museum in Japan, the MoMA in New York and the Tate Gallery in London.