Antoni Tàpies. The Collection, # 2
The Fundació presents a new selection of works by Antoni Tàpies belonging to the Collection. The exhibition, which on this occasion takes place in Espai A, includes different moments in the artist’s creative career from the 1940s to the present, and illustrates the evolution of his typologies, techniques and materials.
The visit begins with Zoom, 1946, one of the earlier works in the Collection, which, despite its primitivist character and Symbolist influence, can be considered a direct precursor of Tàpies’ matter paintings by the use of dense materials, the recourse to double representation – iconic and indicative – and the portrait of a primitive geological world. Zoom, therefore, is directly related to later, more mature works, such as Gran matèria amb papers laterals (Large Matter with Lateral Papers, 1963), Gris, taronja i rosa (Grey, Orange and Pink, 1967), and Gran nus (Large Knot, 1982). The exhibition also includes a selection of drawings from the Sèrie Història Natural (Natural History Series, 1950-1951), an homage to the homonymous series of frottages by Max Ernst, which adds a socio-political dimension to Ernst’s biological-magical interpretation; a selection of works from the late sixties and seventies, in which the artist incorporates objects into his works, such as in Cadira i roba (Chair and Clothes, 1970), and Fusta i finestres (Wood and Windows, 1976); and a selection of more recent pieces demonstrating Tàpies’ interest in the notions of Oriental culture and philosophy, such as Complementaris (Complementaries, 2007).
The visit ends with the screening of the documentaries Tàpies, 1990, by Gregory Rood, produced by the BBC and TVE Catalunya, which can be seen from 11 to 23 February at the Combined Arts area, and from 24 February to 22 April at the Auditorium of the Fundació (Space C), and Antoni Tàpies, 1982, by André S. Labarthe, produced by Ina (Antenne 2), projected on a monitor in Espai A.
