Work "Oval i signes", 2004, by Antoni Tàpies. PHOTO: Disclosure

One of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century, the Spanish painter and sculptor Antoni Tàpies (1923-2012) has a small – but powerful – exhibition at the Bergamin & Gomide gallery, in São Paulo, between March 12 and 27. Of april.

There are 13 works produced from the 1970s onwards which, according to historian Valentin Roma in the presentation of the exhibition, form an “anthology that transits through all the most substantial aspects of the artist, through sculpture, canvas, installation and paper. Also here are all his favorite materials: varnish, marble powder, foam, wood… ”.

Tàpies, born in Barcelona between the wars, developed his own abstract style, drawing on surrealism and the works of Picasso, Miró and Paul Klee, but taking original steps in other directions. Catalan was also identified with what was called informalism in post-war Europe – a trend that arose in parallel with North American abstract expressionism.

Work “Díptic amb fusta”, 1983, by Antoni Tàpies.

The artist was also known for his social concern and ideological engagement. Opponent of the dictator Francisco Franco and great defender of Catalan culture, Tàpies had a long trajectory directly related to the great political events of the 20th century (Spanish Civil War, Second World War and May 68, among others).

“The potency of Tàpies' work is found in the journey it offers us, in its journey from the apocalypse to the apotheosis and vice versa. There is no nihilism in his canvases, objects or sculptures; on the contrary, there is an invitation, sometimes subtle and sometimes arid, to reconnect with the world, to disrupt the established orders at our expense and through our sacrifice”, writes Valentin Roma.

Antoni Tapies

Bergamin & Gomide Gallery – r. Oscar Freire, 379

Until April 27

 


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