The exhibition, created by the Galleria Casoli De Luca in collaboration with Studio Geuna, reviews 20th century’s Italian art focusing on the second half of the century. It features a selection of works by internationally renowned Italian artists who employ or have employed gold in their artistic practice. It includes the master’s representations of sacred stories between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, which laid the foundations for the formation of a national identity, up to works of some of the most representative contemporary artists in Italian art history.
The exhibition is divided into three sections that interact with each other. The first, dedicated to the use of gold in Italian artistic research of the twentieth century, opens with a painting on gold paper by Giacomo Balla from 1913. It then develops into a journey including works from some of the major post World War II Italian artists such as Fausto Melotti, Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana, Carla Accardi and Gastone Novelli. Also on display is a rare Achrome by Piero Manzoni, emblematic of the artist’s research between the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition continues with a large group of works from the Arte Povera movement by artists such as: Michelangelo Pistoletto, Alighiero Boetti, Giulio Paolini, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Giuseppe Penone and others of the same generation. The section is completed by recent works by Maurizio Cattelan, Lara Favaretto, Chiara Fumai, Giovanni Rizzoli and an enamel painting on canvas by Rudolf Stingel.
The second section of the exhibition is enriched by some historical Italian masterpieces including paintings on a gold background such as the beautiful Madonna con Bambino (Madonna with child) by Familiare del Boccati from the second half of the fifteenth century and the imposing Corsi Crucifix from the first quarter of the fourteenth century. Finally, the last section is a special project dedicated to contemporary jewelry with creations from artists including Lucio Fontana, Enrico Castellani and Jannis Kounellis.
Katrina Reynolds, Resnicow and Associates, kreynolds@resnicow.com
Catherine Coughlin, Resnicow and Associates, ccoughlin@resnicow.com
Luciano Fabro (1936 – 2007) "L’occhio di Dio" legno e foglia d’oro 200 x 225 x 6 cm ca. (78.74 x 88.59 x 2.36 in ca.) Eseguito nel 1974
Lucio Fontana (1899 – 1968) "Corrida" terracotta smaltata e dipinta 70 x ⌀ 40 cm (27.55 x ⌀ 15.74 in) Eseguita nel 1952
Lucio Fontana (1899 – 1968) "Battaglia" terracotta smaltata e dipinta 70 x ⌀ 40 cm (27.55 x ⌀ 15.74 in) Eseguita nel 1952
Jacopo di Cione Cristo in pietà tra la Madonna e San Giovanni Evangelista dolenti tempera su tavola 40 x 57 x 3 cm (15.75 x 22.44 x 1.18 in) Eseguito nel 1380-1399
Lucio Fontana (1899 – 1968) "Colombina" terracotta smaltata, dipinta e terzo fuoco 52 x 30 x 20 cm (20.47 x 11.81 x 7.87 in) Eseguita nel 1949
Lucio Fontana (1899 – 1968) "Maschera [Arlecchino]" terracotta smaltata, dipinta e terzo fuoco 54 x 31 x 20 cm (21.25 x 12.20 x 7.87 in) Eseguita nel 1948
Fausto Melotti (1901 – 1986) "Kore" ceramica smaltata 102 x 23 x 20 cm (40.15 x 9.05 x 7.87 in) Eseguito nel 1958-1959
Lucio Fontana (1899 – 1968) "Concetto spaziale" olio e graffito su tela 73 x 60 cm (28.74 x 23.62 in) Eseguito nel 1961
Fausto Melotti (1901 – 1986) "Canone Variato I" oro 21,5 x 66 x 25 cm (8.47 x 25.99 x 9.85 in) esemplare 3 di 3 + P.A. Eseguito nel 1967 (1973)
Maestro della Madonna Straus Volto di una Santa Martire dipinto su legno 76 x 46 cm (29.92 x 18.11 in) Eseguito nel 1380-1415