Catalogue of a key Arte Povera exhibition. The material gathered during the phases of research and securing loans for the exhibitions forms the core of this publication, with theoretical contributions from experts, philosophers and directors of museums of national and international.
The Arte Povera movement first appeared in 1967 and was the focus of Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Marisa Merz, Giulio Paolini, Pino Pascali, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Emilio Prini and Gilberto Zorio. After Futurism and Metaphysical Art, it made the largest contribution to changes to the international artistic language. Over the years, this body of artists, both singly and collectively, gained recognition in large exhibitions and important monographs but there has never been an exhibition that presented their wealth of technique. This is the reason behind the plan to exhibit the movement’s entire path in museums in different Italian cities with the intention of highlighting all the passages in its history between 1967 and 2010, and with every museum concentrating on one stage. To achieve this aim, symbolic of the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification, the research focused on the exhibition venues – Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Milano, Napoli, Roma e Torino. The material gathered during the phases of research and securing loans for the exhibitions forms the core of this extensive publication, with approximately 200 illustrations and theoretical contributions from experts, philosophers and directors of museums of national and international standing who have analysed the significance of Arte Povera in the history of art and in the contemporary culture.