X i ulls

< Artists + Writers

Antoni Tàpies, (1923-2012)

“The X that occupies and defines the space of Gran ics is one of the most recurrent symbols in Tàpies’s work. In is first clumsy attempts at abstract art, which he later abandoned in favor of dream-like images, the young Tàpies gave vent to his fury by crossing out and smudging canvases. This was in the mid-1940s, prior to the Dau al Set period. This attitude undoubtedly intended to show his rejection of all that surrounded him, such as the crosses borne by the death notices in Barcelona’s newspapers. However, in 1953 he began to settle on the style that was to become his hallmark, which abounds with crosses, X’s and smudges.”

– Juan Manuel Bonet, Catalog Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, Cuenca, Fundación Juan March, Madrid, 2016