“Paper Media: Boetti, Calzolari, Kounellis,” the first U.S. exhibition dedicated to Arte Povera works on paper, opens Aug. 28 at The Dorsky Museum

July 1, 2019 Andrew Bruso

New exhibition organized with Magazzino Italian Art Foundation includes rarely-seen works by Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari and Jannis Kounellis

*Jannis Kounellis, “Signals,” 1960, courtesy the Olnick Spanu Collection, New York*

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz announces “Paper Media: Boetti, Calzolari, Kounellis,” the first-ever exhibition in the United States to focus on works on paper by artists related to the Italian art movement, Arte Povera.

The exhibition convenes rarely seen works on paper from the Olnick Spanu Collection by three masters – Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari and Jannis Kounellis – and considers the significance of drawing and print within each artist’s practice, as well as in Italian art and culture in the 1960s and 1970s more broadly.

“Paper Media” will be on view from Aug. 28 – Dec. 8, 2019 in The Dorsky’s Sara Bedrick Gallery.

A public opening reception will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 5–7 p.m.

“Paper Media: Boetti, Calzolari, Kounellis” is curated by Francesco Guzzetti, scholar-in-residence at Magazzino Italian Art Foundation, Cold Spring, New York. The institution was founded by Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu in 2017 and is devoted to Italian postwar and contemporary art.

“We are so thrilled to collaborate with the Dorsky Museum to present this exhibition to both the SUNY New Paltz and Hudson Valley communities,” said Vittorio Calabrese, director of Magazzino Italian Art Foundation. “A core mission of Magazzino since our founding has been to share Italian art and engage with the dynamic art world in this region. We could not be happier to work with the Dorsky Museum to exhibit these rare works, which share an intimate perspective into the greater practice of Arte Povera masters Boetti, Calzolari and Kounellis.”

*Alighiero Boetti, “Untitled (I Invite Stein),” 1966-1967, courtesy the Olnick Spanu Collection, New York*

Working with various drawing and printing techniques was fundamental to the practices of Boetti, Calzolari, and Kounellis, as it was for many Arte Povera artists. In a new development for the period, these artists regarded their works on paper as finished pieces rather than preparatory steps to create an artwork.

From Calzolari’s alchemical experimentation with unconventional materials such as rose petals and salt, to Kounellis’ iteration of a new alphabet of signs and images, these works speak to the artists’ embrace of formal and material experimentation and intensive questioning of what it meant to be an artist.

An illustrated catalog will accompany the exhibition, focusing on this under-explored area of works on paper from the Arte Povera movement and detailing the history of each work on view.

About the Curator
Francesco Guzzetti holds a doctoral degree in History of Modern and Contemporary Art from the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy. He recently served as the Lauro De Bosis postdoctoral fellow at the department of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University in 2018.

Since his appointment as the inaugural Scholar-in-Residence at Magazzino Italian Art Foundation, Guzzetti’s research has laid the groundwork for further investigation into the multifaceted media practices of Italian artists in the 1960s and 1970s, which he has conducted since his doctoral studies and is presenting in several current and upcoming publications.

About Magazzino Italian Art Foundation
Magazzino Italian Art Foundation is a charitable foundation that operates Magazzino, a museum in Cold Spring, New York, devoted to Italian Postwar and Contemporary art. Magazzino, which means “warehouse” in Italian, was co-founded by Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu. Designed by Spanish architect Miguel Quismondo, the 20,000 square-foot structure was completed in June 2017. Magazzino serves as a resource for scholars and students, and offers an extensive library and archive of Italian Art. In addition, Magazzino has become a cultural hub for the vibrant Hudson Valley community thanks to joint programs with local organizations. Under the guidance of Director Vittorio Calabrese, his team, and its curatorial programs, Magazzino Italian Art Foundation bridges collaborations with American and Italian organizations not only to support contemporary Italian artists, but also to foster discussions on Italian Postwar and Contemporary art in the United States.

About The Dorsky Museum
Through its collections, exhibitions and public programs, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art supports and enriches the academic programs at the College and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries, The Dorsky Museum is one of the largest museums in the SUNY system. Since its official dedication in 2001, The Dorsky has presented more than 100 exhibitions, including commissions, collection-based projects, and in-depth studies of contemporary artists including Robert Morris, Alice Neel, Judy Pfaff, Carolee Schneemann, and Ushio Shinohara.

Museum Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Holidays and Intersessions. For more information about The Dorsky Museum and its programs, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum or call (845) 257-3844.