"Transmaterial" by Antoni Tàpies at Pace Gallery

Pace Gallery presents, until October 22, Transmaterial by Antoni Tàpies on the occasion of the centenary of the Catalan artist's birth. About twenty paintings created by Tàpies between the 1990s and the early 2000s are exhibited at Transmaterial. Pace Gallery represented the artist for 30 years, and almost all the works in this show were created after Tàpies was incorporated into the gallery. Coinciding with the first exhibition dedicated to the artist at Pace Gallery in New York since 2015, the show highlights Tàpies' meditative approach to art-making, illuminating the last years of his life and career The exhibition is curated by Natasha Hébert, daughter-in-law of the artist.

Throughout his seven-decade career, Tàpies carried out tireless research into forms and raw materials. The artist's inventive and idiosyncratic combinations were realized on such diverse media as wood, dirt, spray paint, cardboard, blankets, clothing, carpet, furniture and marble dust; elements all of which reflect his intense interest in experimentation. His painting, often austere and at the same time full of strength and expressiveness, tries to find his personal iconography, answers the fundamental questions of the human being and shows that beauty and transcendence can often be found in the humbler objects. Tàpies forged complex layers of materials like these into his compositions, bringing surprising amalgams of color and texture to the foreground of his work. His reimagining and redefinition of painting as a highly physical enterprise inspired future generations of artists, including major figures working today.