Antoni Tàpies (SPANISH, 1923-2012)
Le Portail
Etching and screenprint with carborundum on Arches
1983
Signed in pencil, lower right
Numbered 35/50 in pencil, lower left
Dimensions: 27 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches (69 3/4 x 80 cm) (sheet)
Full margins
In overall good condition
A record value for this print was reached by Christie's, London at $3,992
Contact department for full condition report

This piece is a screenprint and has both etching and carborundum on it. Carborundum, chemically known as silicon carbide, is used in a variety of modern appliances, such as ballistics and LED lighting, and as an art technique. Carborundum is applied to surface and then paint is applied and becomes trapped. From there the paint can be transferred onto another surface, leaving a print. The piece appears to be framed by black on three sides. Inside of the black is a loosely made grid with green areas.

The piece is in overall good condition. It is signed in pencil in the lower right hand corner and numbered 35/50 in pencil in the lower left hand corner. The dimensions are 27 ½ by 31 ½ inches.

Antoni Tàpies (SPANISH, 1923-2012)

Antoni Tàpies started as a surrealist painter, his early works were influenced by Paul Klee and Joan Miró; but he was most known as a Spanish informal artist, working in a style known as pintura matèrica, using mixed media like sand, cement, marble dust and glue in his paintings, adding letters, symbols and crosses. He taught himself to draw and paint while still at school. Tàpies attended law school for three years, and then studied painting at the Acadèmia Valls in Barcelona. He was among the founders of the art group ‘Dau al Set’, a movement with links to the surrealist and Dadaist artists. His interest for philosophy led him to read existentialist literature. Tàpies’ works are represented in international museums and were shown at the Venice Biennale and documenta in Kassel. In 1984, Tàpies founded the Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona, where he lived and worked until his death in 2012. In 2010, he was honored with the title ‘Marqués’ by the Spanish king Juan Carlos I.