Tapies, Antoni (1923- ), Spanish abstract painter of international renown, born in Barcelona and largely self-taught. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) had a lasting impact on Tàpies; his early works were also influenced by two Spanish innovators, painter Joan Miró and architect Antoni Gaudí y Cornet. Tàpies's first solo exhibition was held in 1953 at the Martha Jackson Gallery (New York City).

In the mid-1950s Tàpies gave up pure oil painting for a new medium: oil or latex paint mixed with sand or grit, which he would spread over a canvas and then either incise with markings resembling hieroglyphs, or mold into clothlike textures, creating extremely thick surfaces. Works created in this medium include Bleu avec quatre barres rouges (1966; Blue With Four Red Bars), made with a mixture of oil and marble dust on canvas, and 3 (1994), in which similar materials are applied to a wooden panel. Many of his compositions incorporate discarded objects. Thin, crude washes of pale color add a faded or weather-beaten effect, heightening the sense of pain conveyed by Tàpies's works.

In 1984 Tàpies established the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, in Barcelona. The foundation, which incorporates a museum, a library, and a research center, presents exhibitions and installations of modern and contemporary art. It also sponsors lectures and conferences by scholars and critics. The museum's holdings include the most complete collection of works by Tàpies.