Sèrie negre by Tàpies: a discovery with half a century of history

 Antoni Tàpies’ Sèrie negre was known for decades as a work composed of fourteen plates. Until now. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the series, ARTIKA launched a special edition project. The result was, in every sense, a discovery. This is the story of our contribution to the artist’s legacy.

A series that encapsulates Tàpies’ work

Antoni Tàpies (1923-2012) believed in the transformative power of art. He knew how to turn everyday objects into universal symbols and invite the spectator into a space for reflection.

In 1967, he chose the colour black to create a set of drawings with a resounding style and a musical pulse. He also decided that brown paper offered the right texture for applying various techniques: brushstroke, frotagge and splashing. 

Details of the Sèrie Negre by Antoni Tàpies

The result is a creation of great expressive power, where each plate immediately reveals the artist’s presence. However, the last word on the Sèrie negre has not yet been spoken.

A discovery comes to light

During the research for the commemorative edition, experts at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies studied the originals and the documentation on the series. There they discovered a reference to an original not included among the drawings known as the Sèrie negre.

It was an unpublished plate in a work that, for both the public and experts alike, had always contained fourteen drawings. Where was plate number XV?

After talking to Tàpies’ heirs, the search ended with the discovery of the lost drawing in the artist’s home. With the addition of this last piece, the Sèrie negre could be shown in its entirety for the first time.

Great works of art are created step by step

At ARTIKA we collaborate with artists, institutions, experts and heirs when putting together our publications. Our research can take an average of four years as we continuously search out the best solutions to our challenges.

Our limited edition of the Sèrie negre includes the fifteen original plates, printed on handmade paper and paired with a Study Book. The work is rounded off with a case that reproduces the unmistakable stamp of Antoni Tàpies.

Plate XV from the Sèrie Negre.

The discovery of plate XV of the Sèrie negre makes it possible to see the art as the artist conceived it, the same way a lost page restores the original meaning of a collection of poems or a novel.

Sèrie negre. Antoni Tàpies.

• • Thanks to a meticulous process, for the first time in half a century this edition has brought together all the original drawings from the Sèrie negre.

• • It is a unique creation, available to a limited number of collectors.

• It has been produced through a handcrafted process that ensures the greatest possible faithfulness to Antoni Tàpies’ style.