Giovanni Anselmo, a prominent figure in the Italian Arte Povera movement, has died at 89. Known for integrating organic and industrial materials, Anselmo created sculptures made from stone, steel, and occasionally food, to explore how movement and energy function. Through a metaphysical lens, the conceptual artist aimed to imbue these objects with philosophical meaning.
Anselmo’s passing was confirmed by his New York–based representative, Marian Goodman Gallery.
Born in Italy in 1934, Anselmo started as a self-taught painter before his practice evolved to incorporate sculpture. Eventually, the artist began to work with conceptual projects, creating installations such as Particolare (1972), a work where he projected language against a blank wall or stone to investigate the relationship between abstract categories of thought.
Along with artists such as Alighiero Boetti and Enrico Castellani, Anselmo was a key member of the Arte Povera movement in the late 1960s. The movement was characterized by its use of commonplace and “poor” materials as a reaction against the commercialization of the art world.
Particolare, 1972-2023
Giovanni Anselmo
Marian Goodman Gallery
Notable works like Torsion (1968) (a wood block with leather wrapped around it, housed by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City), showcase his approach of imbuing physical objects with metaphysical inquiries.
Anselmo’s career was marked by significant participation in international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale, where he received the Golden Lion Award in 1990. More recently, the artist received the Presidente della Repubblica at the Accademia Nazionale di Sa Luca in 2019.
This year, Anselmo was preparing for a retrospective exhibition at the Guggenheim Bilbao as well as a major Arte Povera exhibition in Paris. His legacy, defined by a questing spirit and an exploration of the visible versus the invisible, left a profound impression on sculpture and contemporary art.
from Artsy News https://ift.tt/pRnTYx2
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