Fundació Antoni Tàpies, opened in 1990, was aimed at promoting the study and knowledge of contemporary art. The aforementioned building was constructed at the early stage of Catalan Modernism and was the first in the district to integrate industrial typology and technology. The Fundació holds one of the most complete collections of Tàpies’ work, primarily composed of donations by Antoni and Teresa Tàpies. The Library of the foundation, set in the old Montaner i Simon warehouse, specialises in modern and contemporary art and houses the largest archives on Tàpies’ work. It also houses collections of Asian and pre-Columbian art work and culture, as well as that of Africa and Oceania, which have largely influenced the evolution of 20th-Century art. Additional subjects, such as architecture, design, decorative arts, photography and film are also featured. The initial core, bequeathed by Antoni Tàpies, has been augmented with historical publications, as well as international videos and magazines. Among the collection’s notables are 'Creu de paper de diari' (1946 – 1947), 'La barberia dels maleïts i dels elegits' (1950), 'Porta metàllica i violí' (1956), 'Forma negra sobre quadrat gris' (1960), 'Matèria en forma de peu' (1965), 'Palla i fusta' (1969), 'Series of monotypes' (1974), 'Gran díptic dels mitjons' (1987) and 'Núvol i cadira' (1990).

Antoni Tàpies, an iconic Catalan Spanish painter, is known for his 1950s solo exhibition at Galeries Laietanes, Barcelona, and the promotion of the first post-war movement in Spain, the Dau-al-Set, which was related to the Surrealist and Dadaist Movements. Dau-al-Set’s main leader and developer was the poet Joan Brossa. Tàpies, who started as a Surrealist painter, largely influenced by Paul Klee and Joan Miró, soon become recognised as an Abstract Expressionist, working in the Arte Povera style, where non-artistic materials are incorporated into paintings. In 1953, Tapies switched into mixed media. He added clay and marble dust to his paint, and also used waste paper, rags and string. Tàpies cooperated with Enrique Tábara, Antonio Saura, Manolo Millares apart from other Spanish Informalists, while, from 1970, vastly influenced by Pop art, started to incorporate more substantial objects into his work, be it even parts of furniture.