Grey and Green Painting
- Artist: Antoni Tapies
- Date: 1957
- Medium: Oil paint, epoxy resin and marble dust on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 1140 x 1613 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the "Grey and Green Painting" by Antoni Tapies. Created in 1957, the work exemplifies his signature approach of layering a dense, highly textured surface onto canvas. Tapies incorporated clay and marble dust, then carved, scribbled, and lacerated the surface, producing a series of sharp, almost graffiti‑like marks. The interplay of grey, green and the metallic sheen from the epoxy resin creates a striking visual tension that speaks to his fascination with contrasting materials. He once wrote, “My pictures became the truly experimental fields of battle… destruction led up to aesthetic tranquility.” In this piece, that battle of texture and colour reaches a quiet resolution, inviting the viewer to linger over the surface and feel the weight of each layer.
See it in person
Grey and Green Painting is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
