pdf file, 1,19 Mb - Palazzo Grassi

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The catalogue
In publishing the exhibition catalogue “Italics. Italian Art between Tradition and Revolution, 1968-2008”,
curated by Francesco Bonami, Electa marks the beginning of its collaboration with Palazzo Grassi and
the future Contemporary Art Centre at Punta della Dogana in Venice.
With graphic design by Christoph Radl, the volume contains 200 colour illustrations and covers more
than 150 works by artists who have been – and continue to be – leading figures in Italian art as it has
developed over the last forty years. In its analysis of this period, the book provides a new portrait of
contemporary Italian art, taking us on a journey that starts with the political and cultural rupture of
1968 to then continue through the turbulent and often contradictory years that have produced Italy as
it is today. All this is illustrated by the works of numerous artists, some well-known, some newcomers,
some unjustly forgotten and ignored.
The critical essays (first section) analyse artistic currents and trends within the historical, sociological
and cultural context that generated them. With disabused irony, Francesco Bonami, Guido Guerzoni,
Giuliano da Empoli, Francesco Manacorda and Paola Nicolin chart how contemporary art has been
appreciated and ‘consumed’ by Italians and tourists alike since 1968.
The central section of the catalogue presents the works selected for the show by the curator Francesco
Bonami. These range from pieces by such historically-established figures as Michelangelo Pistoletto,
Gilberto Zorio and Mario Merz, to work by the likes of Patrick Tuttofuoco, Ra di Martino and Paola Pivi,
each a leading figure on the contemporary art scene both within Italy and abroad.
The third part of the catalogue contains a chronology that summarises historical, political, social and
cultural events year by year from 1968 onwards, thus outlining the contexts which nourished and
inspired the art in the show.
The book ends with a biography of each of the artists in the exhibition.
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