born Dec. 13, 1923, Barcelona, Spain
Catalan painter.
In 1946 he abandoned the study of law to devote his time to painting, which he taught himself. His early works were influenced by Surrealism , Paul Klee , and Joan Miró . In 1953, after seeing the works of Jean Dubuffet , he developed a unique blend of abstraction, assemblage, and impasto that established his international reputation. He has produced lithographs and illustrated books; his belief in the validity of commonplace materials has had worldwide influence. In 1990 the Tàpies Foundation, housing some 2,000 of his works, opened in Barcelona.