Masterworks from the collection of Antoni Tapies, one of the most famous Post-War artists of his generation, will come up at Christie’s this autumn. Featuring artists including Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and Mark Rothko, these works will star in the Post-War and Contemporary Art evening auction on October 6, Up Close on October 3 and the forthcoming Impressionist and Modern Art auctions in February 2018.
The personal collection of Antoni Tapies includes some of the most important figures of the twentieth century avant-garde and offers a unique insight into the powerful bond that existed between the artist and the paintings and sculptures he encountered over the course of his lifetime. Born in Barcelona in 1923, Antoni Tapies grew up as the violence of the Civil War was being inscribed on the ancient walls of his city. From destruction, he forged one of the greatest bodies of abstract work of the twentieth century. He first came to prominence in the late 1940’s, a scholarship to Paris in 1950-51 led to a meeting with Pablo Picasso. Tapies deliberately chose commonplace materials to infuse with new significance. In 1984, he created the Ta?pies Foundation. Antoni Tapies died in 2012. Here are some examples from his collection: