The Museu Tàpies is looking for future art critics among students throughout Catalonia

BarcelonaFor Antoni Tàpies, art was a path to knowledge and transformation. "I think a work of art should leave the viewer perplexed, make them reflect on the meaning of life," he stated. As for the audience, Tàpies also considered children, and in 1967 he published an article in the magazine Strong Horse titled The game of knowing how to lookWith this approach, he spurred them on to go further: starting with an everyday object, specifically a chair, he proposed that they consider the chair's entire life, from the tree where the wood came from to the carpenter who made it. And also its destruction, how an old chair could be used to fuel a bonfire. "Look, look closely! And let yourself be fully carried away by everything that what our gaze offers resonates within you, like someone going to a concert in a new dress with an open heart, eager to listen," Tàpies told them.

In reality, what Tàpies proposed to those young readers was that they let themselves be carried away and that they be critical, a task that the director of the Tàpies Museum, Imma Prieto, has continued with the creation of the Teresa Barba Critical Writing Competition, which this year reaches its third edition. Like Tàpies, Prieto believes that criticism is not merely an academic or literary exercise, but rather "an attitude" to be cultivated. Thus, the competition's objective is "to foster students' critical thinking through dialogue with the work of Antoni Tàpies as a stimulus for analyzing contemporary society and the reality that surrounds us," engaging with the work, thought, and interests of Antoni Tàpies. All of this is realized through "the students' personal interpretation of the artwork based on their own context, both personal and that of current global events."

Competition Rules

Students enrolled in upper primary education, secondary education (ESO), upper secondary education (Bachillerato), intermediate vocational training programs, university degrees, or advanced vocational training programs during the 2025-2026 academic year are eligible to participate in the competition. Participation may be individual or in groups. Each student or group of students may submit a single original and unpublished text written in Catalan, Spanish, or English, which has not been awarded a prize in any other competition. The text must be between 200 and 1,000 words and must have a title specifying which work or series of works by Antoni Tàpies it references.

The competition announcement will be accompanied by meetings for teachers interested in participating, so they can visit the museum with their students. The museum will also facilitate access to and understanding of Antoni Tàpies's work through discussions and the distribution of information.

Texts should be submitted by email in PDF format to concurs@museutapies.org, with the subject line "Third Teresa Barba Critical Writing Competition". The deadline for submissions is February 15, and the results will be announced on March 5 on the museum's website. The complete competition rules can be found at [link to competition rules]. this linkThe email must include a brief introduction of the author and a PDF form with the personal information of the author or group of authors: academic level, name of educational institution, and the name and contact information of the supervising teacher (if the author is a minor). The prize consists of €300 vouchers redeemable for books and publication of the winning entries.

The jury will consist of journalist and cultural critic Joan Burdeos; Laia Falcón, founder ofThe Bodybuilder, a cultural magazine for families; journalist and art critic Montse Frisach; art historian and professor of art criticism Laia Manonelles; Teresa Sesé, art editor ofThe Vanguard, and Àlex Vicente, editor of the cultural supplement Babelia, ofThe Country.