5/2/2015
Bonalumi Sculptures
Mazzoleni, London
The works on view range in date from the 1960s to the 2010s and examine the broad range of materials the artist experimented with. Further sculptures created in fibreglass as well as work created in plastic, coloured ceramic and bronze are presented.
Curated by Francesca Pola
Mazzoleni London is pleased to present
Bonalumi Sculptures
from
6
February
–
4 April
2015
in
collaboration with
Archivio Bonalumi, curated by
Francesca Pola.
The exhibition features a selection
of
significant sculptural works
exemplifying the scope of the artist’s influential
career
that spanned
six
decades.
Agostino Bonalumi (1935
–
2013)
was a pivotal figure of
P
ost
-
W
ar
Italian A
rt and his bold sculptures
and
inventive
canvases
helped to shape the course of A
b
s
tract A
rt.
Alongside
his friends
the artists
Piero Manzo
ni and
Enrico Castellani, Bonalumi re
-
invented painting
by blurring the boundaries
between
the
two and t
hre
e dimensional
,
to investigate
form and shadow
. The artist is recognised for
his
Picture
-
Objects
,
created through a
proc
ess of
‘extroflection’ that used
str
uctures and frames
p
laced
at the backs of canvases
to
stretch and deform
them
. At various points in h
is career, he brought his
work fully into three dimensions, creating sculptures as well as immersive environments.
The
works
on view range in date from the 1960s to the 2010s and examine the broad range of
materials the artist experimented
with.
Among the
wo
rks in the exhibition is
Nero
(1969)
-
large
-
scale
forms in fibreglass
that outline Bonalumi
’s use of creative curves.
Further sculptures created in
fibreglass including
Rapporti
(1978) as well as work
created in plastic and
coloured
ceramic
including
B
lu
and
Rosso
(2010)
are presented.
Highlights include
Bronzo
(
1967
-
2006
and
1969
-
2007
)
created in
bronze
to reflect light in a different manner
and
w
all based works created from metal sheets
structured to
give
move
ment such as
Bianco
(1989) and
Blu
(1990).
The exhibition
coincides with the
international presentation
of a
large
-
scale monograph
Bonalumi
Sculptures
, published by Numerozeroeditore, in collaboration with the gallery
and
the artist’
s estate.
‘I am
honoured
to have represented Agostino Bonalumi
for the last 10 years of his life and I am delighted to be working
with the Bonalumi family
to present this
unique
show in London.
Bonalumi was a true pioneer of his time
who made
a
monumental
contribution to art history.
He managed to create work that ev
en today still looks incredibly contemporary
and will influence generations to come.’
says Luigi Mazzoleni.
Agostino Bonalumi was born in
Vimercate,
Milan and was a self
-
taught painter who took up art after
abandoning
his
mechanical design studies. His
work has been exhibited internationally since the late
1950s
including at
the Venice Biennale
in
1966, 1970 and 1986. Bonalumi was also involved in set
and
costume
design, and in 1970 he collaborated with
Susanna Egri’s
ballet Partita,
staged at the
Teatr
o Romano in
Verona, and in 1972
with the
ballet Rot, held at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome.
In
2001 h
e was awarded the Pres
idente della Repubblica Prize
by the National Academy of San Luca
and
had a retrospective of his work
at the Palazzo Carpegna, Rome.
His work is held in several
museum collections including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and the Walker Art Center
in Minneapolis.
Please direct press requests to:
Sophie Campos or Tefkros Christou at Pelham Communications
+44 (0)2089693959 or sophie@pelhamcommunications.com - tefkros@pelhamcommunications.com
Opening: Thursday 5 February 2015, 6-8PM
Mazzoleni London
27, Albemarle street w1s 4hz London, UK
Gallery opening hours: Monday-Friday 10am–6pm, Saturday 11am–2:30pm or by appointment