Antoni Tàpies Foundation

The Antoni Tàpies Foundation, located on Carrer d’Aragó in Barcelona, is a cultural institution created by the renowned artist Antoni Tàpies in 1984. The main objective of the foundation is to promote the study and knowledge of modern and contemporary art. The foundation’s headquarters is a modernist building designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, completed between 1881 and 1885, and originally intended for the Montaner i Simon publishing house. This structure, characterized by the use of exposed bricks and wrought iron, is an early example of the integration of industrial typologies into the urban fabric of Barcelona. Antoni Tàpies, born in Barcelona in 1923, was one of the main exponents of informal art. His works stand out for the innovative use of materials such as sand, marble dust, and found objects, which give his works a unique tactile and material quality. Tàpies founded the foundation with the vision of creating a place where art could be explored in all its dimensions, offering space not only for his works but also for those of other contemporary artists. Much of the foundation’s collection, which includes over 2,100 works, was donated by Tàpies himself and his wife, Teresa Barba. The foundation’s permanent collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and graphic works by Tàpies, reflecting the diversity of artistic languages he worked with and the complexity of his creative process. In addition to Tàpies’ works, the foundation houses a private collection of the artist, including works by Goya, Zurbarán, Picasso, Miró, Duchamp, Georges Braque, and Kandinsky, as well as pieces of Asian, African, and pre-Columbian art, medieval works, and archaeological artifacts. A distinctive feature of the building is the sculpture “Nuvol i Cadira” (Cloud and Chair), installed on the roof in 1990. This sculpture, composed of a large cloud of aluminum and steel from which a chair emerges, is a recurring symbol in Tàpies’ work and represents an invitation to contemplation and reflection. The sculpture not only physically elevates the building but also emphasizes its new identity as a center of art and thought. The foundation’s library, located in the old warehouse of the publishing house, preserves the original shelves and specializes in modern and contemporary art. This space houses the largest archive on Tàpies’ work, as well as collections on Asian, pre-Columbian, African, and Oceanic art and culture, which have had a significant influence on the evolution of 20th-century art. The library is also a research center that supports scholars and art enthusiasts with a wide range of historical and contemporary publications, videos, and international magazines.