Celebration of Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies explores his links to Buddhism, art and science

The Antoni Tàpies Foundation launched a year-long commemoration on December 13 entitled Año Tàpies (Year of the Tàpies) which celebrates the centenary of the birth of the Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies (1923-2012). Paying homage to Tàpies' life and work, the foundation will present exhibitions and events exploring his connections to spirituality, art and science, inviting discourse with other renowned artists, such as writer Irene Solà and photographer John Baldessari.

Known for once saying: "In the light of Chan's teachings, all daily activities." . . from the way of cooking and eating to the activities considered the most noble of our body, everything is sacred, transformed and given its fair value", Tàpies combined European ideas with the wisdom of Asia to develop a unique style of his own. .

The inaugural event, “Tàpies. La huella del zen” (Tàpies. The Imprint of Zen), serves as an introductory exhibition illustrating Tàpies’ deep-rooted interest in Zen Buddhism, drawing inspiration from the teachings of Japanese monks, including Hakuin (1686-1769). It features a selection of paintings, ceramics and drawings reflecting his interpretation of Zen philosophies and marks the artist's integration of Asian influences into his work as a means of challenging Western domination, particularly after the Second World War. worldwide.

The second exhibition, “A = A, B = B”, created by Pep Vidal, highlights the fusion of art and science, an essential facet of Tàpies’ artistic ideology. This exhibition resurrects the scientific conferences of Tàpies' book The New World Vision (The new world view, Ediciones Polígrafa 1954), mixing works by various artists such as Irene Solà and John Baldessari. The exhibition aims to combine artistic and scientific exercises, delving into experimentation and observation.

Throughout the centenary, the Antoni Tàpies Foundation will present a multitude of events in different locations, with the aim of prolonging the artistic legacy of Tàpies. Planned activities include various programs, such as the Antoni Tàpies-UPF Chair and the Teresa Barba Critical Writing Competition, targeting students and promoting research on art and thought.

The celebration extends to creative practices, with exhibitions such as “Tàpies a través de la palabra” (Tàpies through the word) which will be presented in various libraries in Barcelona. In addition, musical performances inspired by the artist's favorite pieces, entitled “La maleta de Tàpies” (The suitcase of Tàpies), will be presented by students of the Higher School of Music of Catalonia.

The commemoration includes public programming cycles, including “Las sillas de Tàpies” (Chairs of Tàpies), focused on oral memory, and the “Hoy es Tàpies” (Today is Tàpies) cycle, featuring lectures interdisciplinary. The centenary festivities will culminate with a creative exhibition at Parliament, where musical performances inspired by Tàpies' works will take center stage.

The Año Tàpies initiative strives to explore the diverse aspects of Tàpies’ life and work, offering an immersive journey into his artistic legacy and interdisciplinary approach, setting the tone for a year of comprehensive celebrations.

Foundation director Laurence Rassel described Tàpies as a resolutely contemporary artist following his death in 2012, emphasizing that his influence extends into the 21st century.

Speaking about Tàpies’ interest in the human form, Rassel said: “It’s always been there, from the first drawings like Autoportrait from 1945 to his last works. The human condition, philosophy, politics. . . everything goes through the body. (El Pais)

However, Tàpies' son, Miquel, offered another explanation. “That’s when he realized how difficult it had become to put his socks on,” he told reporters in 2012. “That mundane realization may have triggered a process that brought him back to the human body, to the human condition. » (El Pais)

Born in Barcelona, ​​Tàpies devoted his life to art in his XNUMXs after suffering a near-fatal heart attack and convalescing in the Spanish mountains for two years. He studied philosophy, notably that of Jean-Paul Sartre, and read a lot of Asian thought. He lived mainly in Barcelona and was one of the best-known Spanish artists of the second half of the XNUMXth century, with much of his work in a surrealist format, but experimenting with a number of other styles.