Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The definitive collection of the work of Catalan abstract artist
Antoni Tàpies
is housed
in
modernista
architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner's first important building, the
Casa
Montaner i Simon
(1880), which was originally constructed for the publishing firm of
Montaner i Simon. It was converted in 1990 to house the
Fundació Antoni Tàpies
and it's
hard to miss, since the foundation's building is capped by Tàpies's own striking sculpture,
Núvol i Cadira
(“Cloud and Chair”; 1990), a tangle of glass, wire and aluminium.
While the building is a beauty - one of Moorish-style flourishes, cast-iron columns and no
dividing walls - Tàpies's work rather divides opinion. It's not immediately accessible (in the
way of, say, Miró) and you're either going to love or hate the gallery. A selection of works
from the permanent collection is on show, displayed chronologically, while three or four ex-
hibitions a year highlight works and installations by other contemporary artists. The found-
ation also includes a peerless archive on Tàpies's work, held in the gorgeous
library
on the
upper floor, which was fashioned from the original shelves of the publisher's warehouse.
