Antoni Tàpies, one of the famous artists of European abstract expressionism is perhaps the best-known Catalan artist to emerge in the period since the Second World War. He began drawing and painting as a young man and in the end he gave up studying law to concentrate on art. In 1948, Tàpies helped co-found the first Post-War Movement in Spain known as Dau-al-Set which was connected to the Surrealist and Dadaist Movements. As an early Matter painter, Tàpies added dirt, waste paper and rags to his canvases. Later, in the era of Arte Povera, he worked in foam rubber and spray, varnishes and, for creating objects or sculptures, refractory clay and bronze. Tàpies also produced a number of artist's books and editions. |
