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URV

Antoni Tàpies i Puig

Date of investiture:
25 March 1994
Sponsor:
Antoni González Senmartí
Area of knowledge:
Art

Antoni Tàpies i Puig (Barcelona, 1923-2012) is a sculptor and painter. He studied in Barcelona law and art at the Nolasc Valls academy for a brief period. He has exhibited his works around the world and has known important people such as Dalí. He has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the universities of Barcelona, the Balearic Islands and Glasgow and also by the Royal College of Arts in London.

In his investiture speech Antoni Tàpies reflected deeply on the nature of art, asking “who knows whether our works are merely attempts to respond to that great question mark that you still find when you get to the limits of knowledge: the great Mystery before which, today as much as yesterday, we feel at one with all beings in the Universe.

The renowned artist is the designer of the URV’s emblem, which features the letter “a”, representing the principal of universal knowledge.