Antoni Tàpies

Galerie Lelong, Paris
Private Collection, Chicago

New York, Galerie Lelong, Tàpies, 16 February - 18 March 1989; catalogue, p. 25, no. 3, illustrated in colour
Chicago, Richard Gray Gallery, Antoni Tàpies, New Paintings, 1990; catalogue, p. 11, no. 5, illustrated in colour

Anna Agustí, Tàpies, Obra completa, Vol. 6, 1986-1990, Barcelona, 2000, p. 265, no. 5706, illustrated in colour

The background is less burgundy than in the catalogue illustration, tending more towards brick in the original work. Moreover, the image does not accurately convey the large scale and richness of the thick impastos and incisions. There are two vertical lines corresponding to the junction of panels, inherent to the technique. The extremity of the lower right corner presents a tiny chip. This work is in very good condition.
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The famous Catalan painter Antoni Tapiès developed a revolutionary style, establishing himself on the Spanish art scene as the creator of an entire movement; matiérism and Art Informel conceived of by Michel Tapié. His works employ a variety of unconventional materials: sand, cement, dust, resin or even straw. All these ordinary, everyday materials give his post-war paintings a new turn. Tapiès’s work is dense and rich, materials are mistreated with incisions and scratches which offer the works an unrivaled depth.   

Tapiès does not seek to represent reality through everyday materials rather he seeks to invent a new reality, highlighting even the slightest value of the smallest objects. Fons Roig, made in 1988, is a perfect example of this exploration and research on materials. The work masterfully shows the artist’s incredible capacity to work materials in monumental formats. There is something remarkable and enigmatic in this canvas, an almost spiritual dimension accentuated by a recurring motif in the Catalan painters’ work: the cross as a primitive or catholic symbol. A luminous aura emanates from Fons Roig, rearing up in front of the spectator like a wall, an archaeological canvas from which traces of the artist’s hand have disappeared leaving way for the mystical power of the material.