Artists: Michelangelo Pistoletto - Lucio Fontana - Pablo Picasso

Reflections of modernity: from Piero della Francesca to Lucio Fontana, through Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso.

Exhibited artworks by Lucio Fontana, Pablo Picasso and Michelangelo Pistoletto

GALLERIA CONTINUA presents in its exhibition space in Paris, in the heart of the Marais, a new solo exhibition by Michelangelo Pistoletto, titled Nouvelle perspective (New perspective).

Michelangelo Pistoletto, one of the most important figures of Arte Povera and a major protagonist of contemporary art, has been reflecting and working incessantly for over sixty years on art as a social tool for interaction and sharing, capable of generating change and innovation within society.

The exhibition coincides with an artistic season during which Pistoletto’s career will also be celebrated at the Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection in a comprehensive showcase dedicated to the artistic movement of Arte Povera, curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev. By relating the works of thirteen artists from the movement to their respective sources of inspiration, the exhibition retraces and highlights the influences and legacy of Arte Povera, simultaneously revealing the continuity inherent in the history of art.

The exhibition Nouvelle perspective (New perspective) addresses themes that Michelangelo Pistoletto has consistently explored, bringing them in dialogue with artists who have marked essential transitions in the historical development of perspective: Piero della Francesca, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, and Lucio Fontana. In their time, these artists successfully transformed the artistic paradigm by introducing innovative visions that expanded the perception of art and influenced the advancement of human society.

The rules of perspective established by Piero della Francesca, the fragmentation of reality enacted by Picasso, the vertical planes of Mondrian, and the spatial exploration of Fontana have marked new milestones in humanity’s journey, each transcending the existing canons of their time. Similarly, Michelangelo Pistoletto, by incorporating the public and the passage of time in his reflective works, has placed humanity at the center of a circular perspective open to 360 degrees.

On the ground floor, several pivotal moments from Pistoletto’s journey are exhibited, leading to the formulation of the Art Project (Progetto Arte) and the Third Paradise (Terzo Paradiso), which form the foundational principles of a new concept of city: Cittadellarte, Biella, 1991. Works from the Black and Light and Color and Light cycles, initiated in 2007 and 2014 respectively, are also displayed, following the “ Breaking of the Mirror ” (Rottura dello Specchio), first enacted in Pescara in 1995 during the FUORIUSO exhibition. In these framed paintings, where the reflecting surface is interrupted by the presence of black and colored sections, images can no longer be reflected in the mirror, generating an interruption of space-time. Reality is therefore perceived as fragmented, just as the composition of society is.

In Color and Light, the relationship with Pistoletto’s early painting becomes evident through the appearance of elements such as color and canvas, typically used in painting, within the reflecting work.

The modernity of Pistoletto’s artistic approach is not limited to formal innovation or aesthetic exploration; it includes a profound ethical and social reflection in which art becomes a catalyst for a new vision of the world. The Cittadellarte-Pistoletto Foundation project, represented in the exhibition through a maquette, extends the artist’s identity and ideologies, configuring itself as a total work of art encompassing art, architecture, and public participation. The initiatives promoted by the Foundation materialize the idea of “Demopraxia” (from the Greek demos, meaning people, and praxis, meaning practice), namely the implementation of democratic and collaborative practices within the social fabric through art.

In 2022, the volume The Formula of Creation was published. It conveys the message that Pistoletto himself shares with society, summarized in the words printed on the back cover: “From the genesis of my work, this book leads, through 31 steps, to the genesis of the Universe. And, at the same time, to the genesis of a new society.” Concurrent with the book’s release, the artist participated in a series of conferences held with eminent figures from the fields of science, economics, politics, and religion, demonstrating how art can drive social transformation, especially when placed in dialogue with other aspects of public life.

These meetings were recorded and transformed into works of art in the QR Code Possession painting cycle, in which each QR code, can be appreciated as an abstract work while also being scanned to listen to the various interventions. During art week in Paris, four new conferences featuring Michelangelo Pistoletto and notable personalities from the cultural world will take place at GALLERIA CONTINUA’s Paris space, aimed at deepening the themes of the exhibition Nouvelle perspective (New perspective). These events will be documented and can be revisited through the cycle of QR Code works on display.

Through a multifaceted and polyhedral exhibition path, where the aesthetic, social, and digital dimensions of art reflect upon one another, creating a backdrop for new participatory actions, Michelangelo Pistoletto guides visitors beyond the boundaries between art and life, proposing new perspectives on modernity for the contemporary era and inviting a profound self-reflection on the communal potential of artistic practices.

With the kind collaboration of Nahmad Collection for the loan of the artwork by Pablo Picasso and Tornabuoni Art for the loan of the artwork by Lucio Fontana.

Watch the four new conferences featuring Michelangelo Pistoletto and notable personalities from the cultural world: