| Antoni Tà pies was born in 1923 in Barcelona. He is perhaps the best-known Spanish artist to emerge in the period since the Second World War. In 1950 he held his first solo exhibition, at Galeries Laietanes, Barcelona. In the early 50s he lived in Paris, to where he has often returned. His early works were influenced by Klee and Miró and were Surrealist. He returned to abstraction in 1953, and began working in mixed media; this is considered his most original contribution to art. One of the first to create serious art in this way, he added clay and marble dust to his paint and used waist paper, string, and rags (Grey and Green Painting, Tate Gallery, London, 1957). His international reputation was well established by the end of the 50s; From about 1970 (influenced by Pop art) he began incorporating more substantial objects into his paintings, such as parts of furniture. Tà pies's ideas have had worldwide influence on art, especially in the realms paintings, sculpture, etchings and lithography. Examples of his work are found in numerous major international collections. |
