Spanish artist Antoni Tapies posing during the inauguration of his exhibition at the in the Reina...

Antoni Tapies, the Spanish painter and sculptor whose works brought him fame around the world, died Monday, February 6, in his hometown of Barcelona at the age of 88.

Considered one of the greatest figures of contemporary European art, Tapies was mentioned in the same breath as Salvador Dali and Joan Miro.He was hailed as "the last great artist of the 20th century" by El Mundo newspaper for a career in which he gained worldwide renown with abstract canvases and compositions in material ranging from paint to discarded clothes. Among his most controversial works was "The Sock", a three metre-high model of a sock with a hole in its heel. The sock was a favourite motif of the artist, who said that art should be made from simple things.

His life in 10 dates

December 13, 1923: Tapies is born in Barcelona

1946: Produces his first abstract works in the collage medium, using newspapers, string, rags and aluminum

1948: Co-founds the art movement Dau al Set, which has ties to Dadaism and Surrealism

1950: First solo exhibition at Galeries Laietanes in Barcelona

1953: Antoni Tapies's works get their first international showings, including at at the Marshall Field Art Gallery in Chicago and the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York

1971: Creation of one of his most iconic works, Sock

1984: Creation of the Fundacio Tapies, the objective of which is to promote the study and understanding of modern and contemporary art

1992: Tapies takes part in Expo 92 (Universal Exposition) in Seville, as part of the Catalan pavilion

April 2010: Tapies is given the title of Marquess of Tapies by King Juan Carlos of Spain

February 6, 2012: Tapies dies in Barcelona, aged 88 

Fundació Antoni Tapies

Published 07.02.2012