On 23 March 1981, Jordi Pujol, President of the Catalan regional government, gave a speech about an art exhibition, Catalunya Avui. Embracing the artistic wealth of Catalonia, Pujol reminded the audience that when they hear of Tapies, Miro, Dali, and even Picasso they ought to remember their Catalan heritage. Pujol’s inclusion of Antoni Tapies (1923-2012) in this company shows the mark Tapies had already made as a celebrated artist. In a very different Presidential address, as Artur Mas spoke to the press about the 2014 independence referendum, Tapies’s enormous painting Les quatre croniques (1990) loomed in the background - an image that took on new meanings under very different sociopolitical circumstances.

In this fascinating and thought-provoking investigation, Emily Jenkins explores both Tapies’s extraordinary style and his journey through Catalonia’s turbulent modern history. Despite his complex relationship with the Spanish state, and having shown bold acts of political protest through his art, Tapies has been feted as one of Spain’s most successful modern artists. With support from both local and regional governments, the artist opened a museum dedicated to his work in Barcelona in 1990, helping to establish Tapies as a major visual artist in a resurgent Catalonia.

Emily Jenkins studied art history at Rhodes College and history at Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. She is now an independent scholar in Cantabria.