ANTONI TÀPIES

Spanish　1923 - 2012

Born in Barcelona, Spain. Tàpies was a well-recognized painter, sculptor and art theorist. He was known for his abstract Informalism works. In 2010, he was titled Marqués de Tàpies by King Juan Carlos I of Spain. In 1943, Tàpies entered the German School of Barcelona to study law, within three years he decided to pursuit in the art fields. In 1950, Tàpies held his first solo exhibition at Galeries Laietanes in Barcelona, in the same year he received a grant from the French government and stayed in Paris for a while, during his stay, he became interested in Marxism and involved in the social realism. Influenced by Marxist thinking and concerned about the political situation in Spain, Tàpies surrounded his works based on the social themes. In 1972, Tàpies won the Rubens Prize of Siegen, Germany. In 1994, he received an honorary doctoral degree from the Rovira i Virgili University. In 2003 he won the Velázquez prize, the most prestigious art award in Spain. Tàpies lived mainly in Barcelona, he was presented by Galerie Lelong in Paris and Pace Gallery in New York.