Antoni Tàpies Obituary: Enigmatic Artist Developed Spiritual Themes

THE GUARDIAN
By Christopher Masters

"Saint Gall" (1962) by Antoni Tàpies. Courtesy of  MoMA

SPAIN - The distinguished Catalan artist Antoni Tàpies, who has died aged 88, conceived of his work as a form of meditation on "the void" – more specifically, "that play of emptiness and fullness which composes everything and which reveals the meaning of nature". He expressed this esoteric philosophy, partly inspired by Zen Buddhism, through a multiplicity of potent, often paradoxical, objects. Above all, in such pieces as Homage to Matter (2006) he developed his essential themes: the spirituality of the material world, and the infinite value and mystery inherent in even the most humble things. Antoni Tàpies Puig, Marquess of Tàpies, artist, born 13 December 1923; died 6 February 2012. [link]