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ANTONI TÀPIES PUIG (Barcelona, 1923 - 2012). "Suite Catalana". 1972. Aquatint, painting and collage on cardboard. Signed and dedicated by hand. It appears in the archive of the Complete Works of Tàpies, photo number T-9685. Attached certificate issued by the Comissió Tàpies (Antoni Tàpies Barba, 2015). Measurements: 80 x 105 cm; 100 x 124 cm (frame). This engraving intervened with painting and collage is part of the folder "Suite Catalana", which Tàpies made in 1972, a year before Franco's death. It belongs, therefore, to the context of the vindication of the Catalan culture and identity when it was strongly repressed. In this aquatint with paint, the four bars are expressed through symbolically "bloody" fingerprints; the Greek cross (another ubiquitous element in Tàpies' work) symbolizes the triumph of spirituality and resistance in the face of institutionalized violence. Thick black strokes converge towards calligraphy. The letters, for Tàpies, went beyond their function of composing meaningful words, since for him, graphics were imbued with cryptic messages. The "Suite Catalana" is a series of 34 engravings made by Antoni Tàpies in 1972 and published by Editorial Gustavo Gili in Barcelona. It is considered one of Tàpies' most important and representative works. They form a courageous commentary on the harsh realities of life in Catalonia under the Franco regime. Co-founder of "Dau al Set" in 1948, Tàpies began exhibiting at the Salones de Octubre in Barcelona, as well as at the Salón de los Once held in Madrid in 1949. After his first solo exhibition at the Layetanas Galleries, he travels to Paris in 1950, with a scholarship from the French Institute. In 1953 he had a solo exhibition at Martha Jackson's New York gallery. From then on, his exhibitions, both collective and individual, were held all over the world, in outstanding galleries and museums such as the Guggenheim in New York or the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. Since the seventies, anthologies have been dedicated to him in Tokyo (1976), New York (1977 and 2005), Rome (1980), Amsterdam (1980), Madrid (1980), Venice (1982), Milan (1985), Vienna (1986) and Brussels (1986). Self-taught, Tàpies has created his own style within the avant-garde art of the 20th century, combining tradition and innovation in an abstract style but full of symbolism, giving great relevance to the material substrate of the work. It is worth noting the marked spiritual sense given by the artist to his work, where the material support transcends its state to signify a profound analysis of the human condition. 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 Award for Plastic Arts (2003). A great defender of Catalan culture, of which he is deeply imbued, Tàpies is a great admirer of the mystical writer Ramón Llull, as well as the Catalan Romanesque and Gaudí's architecture. At the same time, he appreciates Eastern art and philosophy, which, like his own work, blur the boundary between matter and spirit, between man and nature. Influenced by Buddhism, he shows in his paintings how pain, both physical and spiritual, is inherent to life. 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.

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ANTONI TÀPIES PUIG (Barcelona, 1923 - 2012). "Suite Catalana". 1972. Aquatint, painting and collage on cardboard. Signed and dedicated by hand. It appears in the archive of the Complete Works of Tàpies, photo number T-9685. Attached certificate issued by the Comissió Tàpies (Antoni Tàpies Barba, 2015). Measurements: 80 x 105 cm; 100 x 124 cm (frame). This engraving intervened with painting and collage is part of the folder "Suite Catalana", which Tàpies made in 1972, a year before Franco's death. It belongs, therefore, to the context of the vindication of the Catalan culture and identity when it was strongly repressed. In this aquatint with paint, the four bars are expressed through symbolically "bloody" fingerprints; the Greek cross (another ubiquitous element in Tàpies' work) symbolizes the triumph of spirituality and resistance in the face of institutionalized violence. Thick black strokes converge towards calligraphy. The letters, for Tàpies, went beyond their function of composing meaningful words, since for him, graphics were imbued with cryptic messages. The "Suite Catalana" is a series of 34 engravings made by Antoni Tàpies in 1972 and published by Editorial Gustavo Gili in Barcelona. It is considered one of Tàpies' most important and representative works. They form a courageous commentary on the harsh realities of life in Catalonia under the Franco regime. Co-founder of "Dau al Set" in 1948, Tàpies began exhibiting at the Salones de Octubre in Barcelona, as well as at the Salón de los Once held in Madrid in 1949. After his first solo exhibition at the Layetanas Galleries, he travels to Paris in 1950, with a scholarship from the French Institute. In 1953 he had a solo exhibition at Martha Jackson's New York gallery. From then on, his exhibitions, both collective and individual, were held all over the world, in outstanding galleries and museums such as the Guggenheim in New York or the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. Since the seventies, anthologies have been dedicated to him in Tokyo (1976), New York (1977 and 2005), Rome (1980), Amsterdam (1980), Madrid (1980), Venice (1982), Milan (1985), Vienna (1986) and Brussels (1986). Self-taught, Tàpies has created his own style within the avant-garde art of the 20th century, combining tradition and innovation in an abstract style but full of symbolism, giving great relevance to the material substrate of the work. It is worth noting the marked spiritual sense given by the artist to his work, where the material support transcends its state to signify a profound analysis of the human condition. 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 Award for Plastic Arts (2003). A great defender of Catalan culture, of which he is deeply imbued, Tàpies is a great admirer of the mystical writer Ramón Llull, as well as the Catalan Romanesque and Gaudí's architecture. At the same time, he appreciates Eastern art and philosophy, which, like his own work, blur the boundary between matter and spirit, between man and nature. Influenced by Buddhism, he shows in his paintings how pain, both physical and spiritual, is inherent to life. 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.

Estimate 22 000 - 24 000 EUR
Starting price 14 000 EUR

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