Founded by Stefano Vaccara

Subscribe for only $6/Year
  • Login
  • Register

Editor in Chief: Giampaolo Pioli

VNY La Voce di New York

The First Italian English Digital Daily in the US

English Editor: Grace Russo Bullaro

  • English Edition
  • Letters
  • New York
  • U.N.
  • News
  • People
  • Entertainment
  • Arts
  • Lifestyles
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Italian Edition
No Result
View All Result
VNY
  • English Edition
  • Letters
  • New York
  • U.N.
  • News
  • People
  • Entertainment
  • Arts
  • Lifestyles
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Italian Edition
No Result
View All Result
VNY La Voce di New York
No Result
View All Result
in
Arts
November 13, 2016
in
Arts
November 13, 2016
0

The Long Lasting Impact of Mario Merz’s Arte Povera

Mario Merz's early works on view at Gladstone Gallery through December 17

Sara FrunerbySara Fruner
mario merz
Time: 3 mins read

Wednesday, November 9, Gladstone Gallery has opened its doors to Mario Merz. Early Works, an exhibition of historic early works by the Italian master of Arte Povera, the movement which blossomed in Italy in the 1960s and 70s. Together with international artists such as Alighiero Boetti, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Janis Kounellis, Mario Merz is considered among the leading members of this artistic movement, which unquestionably changed the definition of art long before similar groups ― Brit Art, for instance ― came to the fore.

By advocating the use of impoverished materials and pursuing an anti-consumerist ideology, the “Poveristi” moved away from the commodification of Pop Art and the detachment of American Minimalism, and as such put existing artistic models into question.

Organized in collaboration with Fondazione Mario Merz, the exhibition highlights three major seminal works by the artist featuring some of his signature motifs: the igloo, the Fibonacci sequence, and the use of neon.

Simone Battisti, Gladstone Gallery Director, was pleased to tell us that the gallery joined forces with Beatrice Merz, President of the Fondazione and Mario’s daughter, and with Marisa Merz, the artist’s widow. Together they decided to plan a special show focused on Merz’s early oeuvre. They selected three installations coming both from Beatrice Merz’s collection and from private collections ― spanning from 1968 to 1977.

Gladstone Gallery is actually not new to Merz’s work. “Mario Merz’s art, as well as his wife’s, are part of Gladstone’s DNA: we have already exhibited his and her pieces in the past”, added Battisti, “so these three installations keep on a long-lasting tradition between the gallery and Merz family.”   

Made of dried mud, Giap Igloo is a dome-shaped structure bearing in neon letters the words of Vietcong General Vo Nguyen Giap of the Vietnamese National Liberation Front, “If the Enemy Masses His Forces, He Looses Ground: If He Scatters, He Loses Strength.” Merz’s renowned igloos are archetypical bodies, which express his preoccupation with the fundamentals of human existence: shelter, food and man’s relationship to nature. He used to define the igloo as “the ideal organic form, a construction to provide refuge,” and claimed that his intention was “to create an architecture that begins from within and expands outwards.”

mario merzmario merzLeyden Jar takes over an entire room of the gallery, covering each wall in wire net with a neon-lit Fibonacci progression of numbers which erupts from the natural form of a branch. Merz has had a long fascination with the Fibonacci series, the sequence formed by adding a number to the number preceding it, and possibly evoking an order that, in a chaos-dominated world, can unite all.

The third work, Sitin, is a box-shaped sculpture whose title refers to the political act of occupying a space with one’s own body, as “sitting” is both an individual and a social action. Since Arte Povera was a deeply political movement, a revolutionary genre freed from convention and from the market-place laws, Merz often used political slogans or hints to activism for some of his metaphorical works like this one.

According to Director Battisti, nowadays Merz’s works impact not only on the viewer, but also on a whole generation of artists, that infuse their own art with Arte Povera patterns such as, for instance, humbleness of materials and political engagement. Mr. Battisti also confirmed that American collectors have always been ― and currently are ― very keen on Arte Povera, which along with Minimalism, can be seen as one of the last prominent movements of the 20th century.

Meaningfully, the opening day of the exhibition, November 9, coincides with the 13th anniversary of the artist’s death ― Merz died in 2003. Hence, Early Works stands also as a remarkable tribute to a master whose inventive and thought-provoking aesthetics could never be praised enough. The exhibit will be open  through December 17, 2016.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sara Fruner

Sara Fruner

DELLO STESSO AUTORE

The New Translation of I Promessi Sposi: An Interview with Michael F. Moore

bySara Fruner
Amadeo Peter Giannini, il papà della Bank of America, “Il banchiere di tutti”

Amadeo Peter Giannini, Founding Father of the Bank of America, “The People’s Banker”

bySara Fruner

A PROPOSITO DI...

Tags: art showArte PoveraItalian artItalian art of the 20th centuryMario merz
Previous Post

La mia prima volta in America

Next Post

Con Trump gli accordi sul clima rischiano di saltare

Discussion about this post

DELLO STESSO AUTORE

Amadeo Peter Giannini, il papà della Bank of America, “Il banchiere di tutti”

Amadeo Peter Giannini, il papà della Bank of America, “Il banchiere di tutti”

bySara Fruner
Dalla sella alla sala: i “Wonderful Losers” del ciclismo guadagnano il grande schermo

Dalla sella alla sala: i “Wonderful Losers” del ciclismo guadagnano il grande schermo

bySara Fruner

Latest News

“A Model Workshop: Margaret Lowengrund and The Contemporaries”

“A Model Workshop: Margaret Lowengrund and The Contemporaries”

byLa Voce di New York
Serie A, il commento alla quinta giornata: Inter in fuga, Juve KO, il Milan c’è

Serie A, il commento alla quinta giornata: Inter in fuga, Juve KO, il Milan c’è

byEmanuele La Prova

New York

Affordable Art Fair, l’esempio di Roka Gallery

Affordable Art Fair, l’esempio di Roka Gallery

byFrancesca Magnani
Usa: 15enne ucciso in sparatoria a Brooklyn dopo scuola

Queens, detenuto strappa a morsi dito di un poliziotto

byLa Voce di New York

Italiany

Mamma Mia! There’s a Microchip in My Parmigiano!

Mamma Mia! There’s a Microchip in My Parmigiano!

bySunny Day
La cucina italiana inizia il suo percorso verso l’UNESCO: obiettivo 2025

La cucina italiana inizia il suo percorso verso l’UNESCO: obiettivo 2025

byAugusto Laspina
Next Post
accordi clima

Con Trump gli accordi sul clima rischiano di saltare

La Voce di New York

Editor in Chief:  Giampaolo Pioli   |   English Editor: Grace Russo Bullaro   |   Founded by Stefano Vaccara

Editor in Chief:  Giampaolo Pioli
—
English Editor: Grace Russo Bullaro
—
Founded by Stefano Vaccara

  • New York
    • Eventi
  • Onu
  • News
    • Primo Piano
    • Politica
    • Voto Estero
    • Economia
    • First Amendment
  • People
    • Nuovo Mondo
  • Arts
    • Arte e Design
    • Spettacolo
    • Musica
    • Libri
    • Lingua Italiana
  • Lifestyles
    • Fashion
    • Scienza e Salute
    • Sport
    • Religioni
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
    • Italia
  • Mediterraneo
  • English
  • Search/Archive
  • About us
    • Editorial Staff
    • President
    • Administration
    • Advertising

VNY Media La Voce di New York © 2016 / 2023 — La testata fruisce dei contributi diretti editoria d.lgs. 70/2017
Main Office: 230 Park Avenue, 21floor, New York, NY 10169 | Editorial Office/Redazione: UN Secretariat Building, International Press Corps S-301, New York, NY 10017

VNY Media La Voce di New York © 2016 / 2023
La testata fruisce dei contributi diretti editoria d.lgs. 70/2017

Main Office: 230 Park Avenue, 21floor, New York, NY 10169 | Editorial Office/Redazione: UN Secretariat Building, International Press Corps S-301, New York, NY 10017

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • New York
  • Onu
  • News
    • Elezioni 2022
    • Primo Piano
    • Politica
    • Economia
    • First Amendment
  • Arts
    • Speciale Venezia
    • Arte e Design
    • Spettacolo
    • Musica
    • Libri
  • Lifestyles
    • Fashion
    • Scienza e Salute
    • Sport
    • Religioni
  • Food & Wine
    • Cucina Italiana
  • Travel
    • Italia
  • English
    • Arts
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Food & Wine
    • Letters
    • Lifestyles
    • Mediterranean
    • New York
    • News
  • Subscribe for only $6/Year

© 2016/2022 VNY Media La Voce di New York

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In
By clicking on "Create my account" or by registering, you accept the Term of Service and the Privacy Policy.

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
La Voce di New York
Gestisci Consenso Cookie
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Funzionale Always active
L'archiviazione tecnica o l'accesso sono strettamente necessari al fine legittimo di consentire l'uso di un servizio specifico esplicitamente richiesto dall'abbonato o dall'utente, o al solo scopo di effettuare la trasmissione di una comunicazione su una rete di comunicazione elettronica.
Preferenze
L'archiviazione tecnica o l'accesso sono necessari per lo scopo legittimo di memorizzare le preferenze che non sono richieste dall'abbonato o dall'utente.
Statistiche
L'archiviazione tecnica o l'accesso che viene utilizzato esclusivamente per scopi statistici. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
L'archiviazione tecnica o l'accesso sono necessari per creare profili di utenti per inviare pubblicità, o per tracciare l'utente su un sito web o su diversi siti web per scopi di marketing simili.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
Visualizza preferenze
{title} {title} {title}
La Voce di New York
Gestisci Consenso Cookie
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Funzionale Always active
L'archiviazione tecnica o l'accesso sono strettamente necessari al fine legittimo di consentire l'uso di un servizio specifico esplicitamente richiesto dall'abbonato o dall'utente, o al solo scopo di effettuare la trasmissione di una comunicazione su una rete di comunicazione elettronica.
Preferenze
L'archiviazione tecnica o l'accesso sono necessari per lo scopo legittimo di memorizzare le preferenze che non sono richieste dall'abbonato o dall'utente.
Statistiche
L'archiviazione tecnica o l'accesso che viene utilizzato esclusivamente per scopi statistici. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
L'archiviazione tecnica o l'accesso sono necessari per creare profili di utenti per inviare pubblicità, o per tracciare l'utente su un sito web o su diversi siti web per scopi di marketing simili.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
Visualizza preferenze
{title} {title} {title}
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?