Press Release

Renowned worldwide from the end of the 1950s for his substantial paintings, often in monochrome, Tàpies (1923–2012) was incorrectly seen at the beginning of his career as a purely abstract painter. In fact, he never ceased toobserve reality and attempt to render it in an unfettered way.

While American Pop Art celebrated gleaming publicity items, Tàpies preferred humble, used objects, and was thus a precursor of the Arte Povera movement. Whether it was representative or directly taken from reality, for Tàpies the object was most often simply shown for its shape, without metaphor or message. And it is from this sometimes brutal simplicity that he drew his plastic strength.

His work has been exhibited in the world’s leading museums: the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (1962), the Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris (1973), the Nationalgalerie in Berlin (1974), the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid (1990), the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati (2010), the Palazzo Fortuny in Venise (2013) and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (2013). He also took part in four Venice Biennal exhibitions, notably in 1993, the year he represented Spain and won the Golden Lion.

In addition to a number of exhibition catalogues, Galerie Lelong has published two volumes of writings by Antoni Tàpies, La réalité comme art and L’art et ses lieux.

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About the Artist

Antoni Tàpies was born in 1923 in Barcelona, Spain. Died in Barcelona in February 2012.

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Also Exhibiting at Galerie Lelong

About the Gallery
Galerie Lelong is located in Paris and New York. It was founded by Jacques Dupin, Daniel Lelong and Jean Frémon.

The Paris gallery has been exhibiting recent works from artists of international standing since 1981. The 1980s were notable for artists who went on to become household names, including Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies, Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Eduardo Chillida, Paul Rebeyrolle, Pierre Alechinsky, but also for the next generation of artists: Konrad Klapheck, Jan Dibbets, Donald Judd, Robert Ryman, Richard Serra, Jannis Kounellis, Arnulf Rainer, Nicola De Maria and Jan Voss.

In the 1990s, the gallery hosted artists who represented major movements in contemporary art: Sean Scully, Günther Förg, Andy Goldsworthy, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Antonio Saura. The gallery also increased international recognition of the work of Ana Mendieta.

Since the turn of the century, Galerie Lelong has accentuated the geographical and expressive diversity of its artists: from sculpture and objects by Jaume Plensa, David Nash, Wolfgang Laib, Kiki Smith, Rebecca Horn, Barry Flanagan to installations by Barthélémy Toguo and Lin Tianmiao, without forgetting painting, namely David Hockney, Robert Motherwell, Kate Shepherd, Nalini Malani, Nancy Spero, Juan Uslé, Leon KossoffLeon Kossoff.

Galerie Lelong has a large publishing department which produces and distributes engravings, lithographs, digital prints and multiple objects, and collates these works in catalogues raisonnés.

It produces monumental sculptures to order for public spaces and private clients.

The gallery is present at the leading international contemporary art fairs (Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, Art Basel Hong Kong, Fiac Paris, Frieze London, Frieze New York, Arco Madrid, Art Brussels, Expo Chicago...).

The directors of the gallery are Jean Frémon, Daniel Lelong and Patrice Cotensin in Paris and Mary Sabbatino in New York.
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Address
38 avenue Matignon
Paris
France
Opening Hours
Tues - Sat, 11am - 7pm
(1)
Paris 38 avenue Matignon
Galerie Lelong
38 avenue Matignon, Paris, France

Opening hours
Tues - Sat, 11am - 7pm
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