TÀPIES-ROYO 1969-1973. Un tapís de la Col·lecció Rodríguez Veyrat

TÀPIES-ROYO 1969-1973
A tapestry from the Rodríguez Veyrat Collection

With the collaboration of Carles Guerra

Taking advantage of the occasion of the celebration of the centenary of Antoni Tàpies (1923-2012), the Museum of Modern Art of Tarragona proposes a new chapter to add to the series of exhibitions, publications and research whose objective is the restitution of an artist who, so close, it has been forgotten for a long time. Josep Royo (Barcelona, ​​1945) has been a key figure in the promotion and updating of textile techniques in relation to the field of modern and contemporary art. The technical condition, feminized and, after all, considered minor, has underestimated the contributions of Josep Royo. For this reason, the extraordinary collaboration between Joan Miró (1893-1983) and Josep Royo throughout the seventies was first recovered, a work that had La Farinera as its creative epicenter sponsored by the Maeght Gallery. Subsequently, the documentary collection has been established that has allowed us to understand Josep Royo's career apart from his collaborations with other artists. From this extensive and unpublished archive, an exhibition and a publication have emerged that celebrated the radicality and sensuality of Royo's tapestries, but now with their own name. Both proposals allowed the reunion with a work that the public was unaware of and were signed with the title of Josep Royo. An open form that caudes.

Now, one of the most notable collaborations that was pending review was the one that Josep Royo had with Antoni Tàpies between 1969 and 1973. More than twenty pieces have been registered from this joint work, some as important in Antoni Tàpies' work as Armari, from 1973. From the late sixties Tàpies frequented the Casa Aymat factory in Sant Cugat - where he met a very young Josep Royo - until 1973, and both integrated textile materials with an unusual freedom. First they made a series of tapestries inspired by cartoons made by Antoni Tàpies that were exhibited in the Sala Gaspar at the end of 1971. Rogenca Label (1971), which is part of the Rodríguez Veyrat Collection, could be seen in that exhibition. However, starting in 1972 Josep Royo manufactured a series of objects following instructions from Antoni Tàpies that were first exhibited at the Lelong Gallery. The power of these results would not have been possible without the technical personality of Josep Royo and the creative daring of Antoni Tàpies, who, at that time, was looking for new statutes for the work of art. Unfortunately, these types of collaborations have tended to erase the name of someone who, for many, appeared as an artisan. Now that we have discovered Josep Royo's own profile, it is very likely that we will observe the works of Antoni Tàpies with different eyes.

PUBLICATION