48 - ANTONI TÀPIES (Barcelona, 1923–2012).

ANTONI TÀPIES (Barcelona, 1923–2012). Untitled (Coup de pinceau), 1969. Lithograph on paper. H.C. edition. Work reproduced in GALFETTI, Mariuccia: Tàpies. Das graphische Werk. L'oeuvre gravé 1947–1972. Erker-Verlag. St. Gallen, 1975. Cat. No.: 207. p. 120. B/W reproduction. Signed and dated in pencil at the bottom. Measurements: 66.5 x 50.5 cm. The work reduces the composition to a simple, forceful sign, translating into graphic language the tension between matter, gesture, and void that is characteristic of Tàpies. The apparent simplicity of the image contrasts with the importance the artist attached to the brushstroke, understood not as a merely formal device but as an action capable of leaving a physical and symbolic mark on the support. The significance of this H.C. (hors commerce) print also lies in its status as a proof reserved outside the commercial edition, a common practice in the artist’s printmaking. Initially self-taught, Tàpies took up drawing and painting at a very young age, and during the 1940s he came into contact with the European avant-garde movements and contemporary thought. In 1948, he was one of the founders of the Dau al Set group. Throughout his career, he exhibited worldwide in prominent galleries and museums such as the Guggenheim in New York and the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. His awards include the Prince of Asturias Award, the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association, the National Culture Award, the Grand Prize for Painting in France, among others, and retrospective exhibitions have been dedicated to him in Tokyo, New York, Rome, Amsterdam, Madrid, Venice, Milan, Vienna, and Brussels. His works are represented in major national and international museums, such as the foundation that bears his name in Barcelona, the Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Guggenheims in Berlin, Bilbao, and New York, the Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan, MoMA in New York, and the Tate Gallery in London. Work reproduced in GALFETTI, Mariuccia: Tàpies. Das graphische Werk. L'oeuvre gravé 1947–1972. Erker-Verlag. St. Gallen, 1975. Cat. No.: 207. p. 120. B/W reproduction.