574 - Antoni Tàpies (1923 – Barcelona – 2012)

Antoni Tàpies (1923 – Barcelona – 2012) Noire et lacérée Mixed media on wood. (1979). Approx. 54.5 x 81 cm. Signed on the back panel. Agustí 3559. • A striking material panel from the most important creative phase of the leading artist of Spanish Informel • A successful harmony of archaic materiality, expressive gesture, and spiritual depth • In private hands for over 40 years Antoni Tàpies’s epoch-making material works began to emerge in 1954. It almost seems as though the Catalan artist did not find a visual language suited to him until this point. “Noire et lacérée” from 1979 is an exceptionally typical example of this. Working with a sculptural base made of a custom mixture of sand, marble dust, and bone glue, Tàpies creates indentations, scrapes, and imprints through rapid, dynamic processes. In this case, he applies broad black brushstrokes over impulsively made scratches and incisions on a surface rendered in a vibrant gray. As if someone had scratched into desert sand, the materiality and color of the sand emerge and become an essential element of the composition. The title “Noire et lacérée” roughly translates to “Black and Torn/Tattered” and suggests that the artist does not intend to pin the work down to a specific pictorial message. Rather, it is the presence of materiality that becomes the primary criterion for the image’s expressive power here. The rich surface textures become the actual visual event. Despite this strong focus on the materiality of the paintings, Tàpies’ artistic intent is always oriented toward spiritual values. His fundamental attitude is characterized by a profound seriousness that reflects Mediterranean mysticism and the Spanish penchant for the cryptic. Exhibition: Tàpies: December 1980–January 1981, Galerie Maeght-Lelong, Zurich 1980/1981, cat. no. 24. Galerie Meyer-Ellinger, Frankfurt 1984, uncat. Provenance: The artist’s studio; Galería Maeght, Barcelona, with a label on the back panel; Galerie Maeght, Paris, with a label on the back panel; Galerie Maeght-Lelong, Zurich; Private collection of Klaus Lauer, Badenweiler; Meyer-Ellinger Gallery, Frankfurt; Private collection, Hesse, acquired from the aforementioned gallery in 1985. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).