Arte Povera emerged in the anti-establishment context of the late 1960s, as a reaction against consumer society. By focusing on the process rather than the finished object, artists said they were using "the energy and revolutionary potential of the material".
Alighiero e Boetti (Alighiero BOETTI, dit), "Per filo e per segno", 1990 (1990) by Alighiero e Boetti (Alighiero BOETTI, dit)Carré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain
Alighiero e Boetti, 'Per filo e per segno', 1990
This five-panel polyptych is part of a cycle of works by the artist, Seguire il filo del discorso, which was started in 1977. A dense outline in ballpoint pen, an alphabet and commas punctuate the whole work. Like a code to be deciphered, they spell out the title of the work.
ANSELMO, 'Verso Oltramare in basso a sud e in alto a ovest'
A work composed of a block of granite, into which a compass has been inserted, and two ultramarine blue rectangles, painted according to the orientation set out in the title of the work. The whole invites us to perceive what Anselmo calls "energy situations", located beyond the museum space.
Jannis KOUNELLIS, "Sans titre", 1976 (1976) by Jannis KOUNELLISCarré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain
Jannis KOUNELLIS, 'Sans titre', 1976
Originally a painter, Yannis Kounellis included sculptures, installations and theatrical performances in his oeuvre. Incorporating the musical and theatrical dimension into his work from the 1970s, he also produced several opera sets.
Jannis KOUNELLIS, "Sans titre", 1984 (1984) by Jannis KOUNELLISCarré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain
Jannis KOUNELLIS, 'Sans titre', 1984
Yannis Kounellis draws the viewer into an immediate experience. He summons the evocative power of the materials and elements he uses: cotton, coal, steel, and fire. He thus creates a complex work that combines personal mythology and universal history.
Mario MERZ, 'Igloo', 1986–1987
The lead and wax igloo is part of a series begun in 1968 and then developed over the years. Its semi-spherical shape, symbolizing both the world and the first shelter, is emblematic in the artist's body of work.
Mario MERZ, 'Senza tittolo (coccodrillo)', 1997–2000
In his practice as a painter, Mario Merz's bestiary is populated by crocodiles, tigers and rhinos, etc. "Depicting a large animal from the planet's past is always something incredibly more fundamental than the novelty of a plane or a political solution.. »
Pino PASCALI, "Coccodrillo", 1962 - 1963 (1962/1963) by Pino PASCALICarré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain
Pino PASCALI, 'Coccodrillo', 1962–1963
A painter, sculptor and performer, Pino Pascali died prematurely at the age of 33. This gouache prefigures some monumental works from 1966, the "Faux Sculptures", rounded volumes made of white canvas on wood, and composing an imaginary zoo.
Giuseppe PENONE, 'Studio per soffio di creta', 1977
A hollow mold inside a mouth forms the top of the terracotta Soffi (breaths), where the artist's body is also inscribed in negative. “With the sculpted Breaths, I wanted to achieve something mythical. To make something as intangible as breath solid. " GP
Giuseppe PENONE, "Sans titre", 1989 (1989) by Giuseppe PENONECarré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain
Giuseppe PENONE, 'Sans titre', 1989
"It's not a painting, it's really like touching the landscape. Beyond the surface of the flattened canvas, the atmosphere of the place is captured. To make the forest, you have to be a forest, to work with plant lymph. " GP
Giuseppe PENONE, 'Sans titre', 1992
"An imprint is something that everyone leaves around them, and which they spend part of their lives trying to erase [...]. It is an animal image, an image of matter, but it is also a completely cultural image." GP
Giuseppe PENONE, "Anatomia II", 1993 (1993) by Giuseppe PENONECarré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain
Giuseppe PENONE, 'Anatomia II', 1993
Penone combines a plaster molding of his hand with a block of marble, which it fits into. For Giuseppe Penone "the surface of our body is a vast memory of impressions collected from time immemorial".
Carré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain - Nîmes - www.carreartmusee.com
Navigart: https://www.navigart.fr/carredart/artworks
Centre de documentation Bob Calle: https://carreartmusee.centredoc.fr/index.php
Creation: Carré d'art - Musée
Photos: © ADAGP Photo credit: Cédrick Eymenier: © Adagp, Paris Crédit photographique: David Huguenin/Carré d'Art - Musée d'Art Contemporain: © Giovanni Anselmo - Photo credit: Blaise Adilon © rights reserved - Photo credit: David Huguenin/Carré d'Art - Musée d'Art Contemporain
