Antoni Tàpies i Puig (Barcelona, 13 December 1923 – 6 February 2012) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and art theorist, who became one of the most famous European ‘informalist’ artists of his generation. His beginnings were, like that of many artists of his generation, influenced by surrealism. His works from the ‘Dau al Set’ (1948-1951) period are very representative of this. He would son start creating his well known ‘matter paintings’ in which he would use a wide variety of materials, specially marble dust. His works were filled with signs, numbers, and words that often offered a clear political message. In 1990, The Fundació Antoni Tàpies in Barcelona opened its doors.