Rome – Milan: Space and Colour, Rhythm and Matter
1 October – 5 December 2020
Mazzoleni is delighted to announce the launch of the new exhibition season in its London gallery on 1 October 2020, with the group show Rome – Milan: Space and Colour, Rhythm and Matter. The show brings together a number of the leading figures of the Italian art scene that were operating in these two major Italian cities with works realised mainly between the 1950s and 1960s.
Acclaimed for their artistic revolutions, pioneers Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) and Alberto Burri (1915-1995) were the points of departure and reference for the experimentation later conducted by the artists born in the 1930s such as Agostino Bonalumi (1935-2013), Enrico Castellani (1930-2017), Dadamaino (1930-2004), Jannis Kounellis (1936-2017), Piero Manzoni (1933-1963) and Mario Schifano (1934-1998). They were to explore new and further strands of research as their artistic careers evolved. Fontana’s innovative reflections on space and Burri’s in-depth experimentation with materials were to be the driving forces behind the development of new artistic idioms. In parallel, predominantly through painting, Giulio Turcato (1912-1995), Piero Dorazio (1927-2005) and Carla Accardi (1924 -2014) (already members of the group Forma 1) combined a skilled use of shapes and colours with new “painterly” materials such as, foam rubber, enamels and casein. Meanwhile Giuseppe Capogrossi (1900-1972), the founder with Burri of the Origine group, developed a personal sign alphabet. In sculpture, from his debut alongside Lucio Fontana, Fausto Melotti (1901-1986) developed a lyrical and poetic dimension that led him to a truly unique artistic path of the Italian art scene .
While Milan was principally associated with Northern European research, Rome created a bridge to the North American scene, bringing substantial innovations to the visual culture. There were numerous opportunities for debate and inter-connection between artists during major institutional events such as the Venice Biennale, group shows and art magazines produced in the 1950s and 1960s. The dialogue between Rome and Milan was in fact lively and continuous thanks to the work of galleries such as Galleria Appia Antica, Galleria del Milione, Galleria del Naviglio, Galleria La Tartaruga, Marlborough Gallery, Galerie Stadler, of which a number of the works in this exhibition come from. Furthermore, contemporary periodicals founded and edited by artists, such as Azimuth, Appia Antica, Il Gesto, L’esperienza moderna and L’Almanacco Letterario Bompiani, were national publications that offered annual overviews on cultural novelties.
Artists shown:Carla Accardi, Agostino Bonalumi, Alberto Burri, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Enrico Castellani, Dadamaino, Piero Dorazio, Lucio Fontana, Jannis Kounellis, Piero Manzoni, Fausto Melotti, Mario Schifano, Giulio Turcato.
