From Library Journal
Many Americans are not aware that a major art movement with international ramifications was spawned in Italy during the late 1960s. Called Arte Povera, this conceptual art movement aimed to juxtapose nontraditional materials in unusual installations. Using four early essays and lavish, full-page color illustrations, this exhibition catalog focuses on the origins of Arte Povera from 1967 to 1971. Accompanying the essays (which are in both English and Italian) is an extensive look at 11 seminal Arte Povera artists, including Giulio Paolini, Alighiero Boetti, and Michelangelo Pistoletto. Explanatory text and a listing of exhibitions and publications accompany each illustration, and biographical information is provided for each artist in addition to a detailed bibliography. The exhibition and catalog are the fruit of a collaborat-ion among three Turin organizations. A welcome addition to the literature of international and Italian contemporary art, this book is recommended for academic as well as museum libraries. Kraig Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
The Arte Povera movement, similar to other movements of its time such as Conceptual Art and Process Art, brought about a radical redefinition of art itself, and provided an alternative to the increasingly hegemonic art trends of the day. "Arte Povera: In Collection" examines a significant nucleus of historical works of the Arte Povera movement from three important collections: the Museum of Contemporary Art Castello di Rivoli, the Galleria d'arte Moderna in Turin, and the recent acquisitions of the Fondazione CRT in Turin. Included here are 90 works by the leading protagonists of the Arte Povera movement: Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Marisa Merz, Giulio Paolini, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Gilberto Zorio. The book focuses on these artists' legendary works from the 60s and 70s, but also includes some recent work from each artist. In addition, the book features new, unpublished essays by each of the artists--except for the deceased Boetti--as well as historical texts by major art critics Tommaso Trini, Harold Szeemann, Jean Christophe Amman, and of course Germano Celant, who coined the term ''Arte Povera'' in 1967.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Arte Povera movement, similar to other movements of its time such as Conceptual Art and Process Art, brought about a radical redefinition of art itself, and provided an alternative to the increasingly hegemonic art trends of the day. "Arte Povera: In Collection" examines a significant nucleus of historical works of the Arte Povera movement from three important collections: the Museum of Contemporary Art Castello di Rivoli, the Galleria d'arte Moderna in Turin, and the recent acquisitions of the Fondazione CRT in Turin. Included here are 90 works by the leading protagonists of the Arte Povera movement: Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Marisa Merz, Giulio Paolini, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Gilberto Zorio. The book focuses on these artists' legendary works from the 60s and 70s, but also includes some recent work from each artist. In addition, the book features new, unpublished essays by each of the artists—except for the deceased Boetti—as well as historical texts by major art critics Tommaso Trini, Harold Szeemann, Jean Christophe Amman, and of course Germano Celant, who coined the term ''Arte Povera'' in 1967.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal