Lugano
GAM – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea of Turin continues exploring its own heritage by dedicating a chapter to Italian sculpture between 1940 and 1980 with an exhibition that presents 50 works made by 40 artistsactive during that time: forty years of monumental change and major stylistic milestones, in terms of subject matter and technique, thereby assigning a new role to sculpture.
Over the years, GAM’s rich collections have benefitted not only from the works acquired by the Museum but also from the decisive role played by the Fondazione Guido ed Ettore De Fornaris and the Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT, which contributed to important acquisitions and to growing this heritage.
This first part investigates Italian Informal sculpture which began to experience major milestones. In order to illustrate the new path of sculpture during this period, in addition to Cherchi and Giuseppe Tarantino, we find terracotta works by Leoncillo, dynamic bronzes by Umberto Mastroianni and Pietro Consagra, works in iron by Franco Garelli and Nino Franchina, and assemblies by Ettore Colla. At the same time, the exhibition also highlights the dramatic wooden sculpture group Miracle (Holocaust) by Marino Marini and the large metal Spatial Concept by Lucio Fontana offset by the ceramic Little Women by Fausto Melotti.
The 1960s are instead represented by Giuseppe Uncini, Nicola Carrino, Pietro Gallina, and Mario Ceroli and Piero Gilardi. With clear intentions, the art/nature dichotomy is also faced by exponents of Arte Povera: from Working on the Trees, Maritime Alps by Giuseppe Penone to Untitled by Giovanni Anselmo, up to the chemical-physical processes proposed by Gilberto Zorio.
The itinerary ends with the latest experiences from the 1970s and early 1980s with artworks by Michelangelo Pistoletto, Nanda Vigo, Giuseppe Spagnulo, Nanni Valentini, Paolo Icaro and finally the monumental triumph of the sculptural exploration of The Bell by Luigi Mainolfi.