Michelangelo Pistoletto: From 1 to Many, 1956-1974

One of Europe’s most influential contemporary artists, Michelangelo Pistoletto (born 1933) has persistently investigated and expanded the role of the spectator in art since the 1950s through painting, sculpture, and performance. His present standing as an inspirational figure among younger artists is a testament to the innovative vitality that characterizes all his work, from early paintings and leadership in the Arte Povera movement to his influence on current participatory artistic practices.

This handsomely illustrated book features works created from 1956 to 1974, many never exhibited in the United States, as well as a selection of the artist’s writings. Contributors to the book discuss the context of Pistoletto’s art, including the social and artistic climate of Turin and the relationship between his work and American Pop art, conceptual art, minimalism, and post-minimalism.

Published in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Exhibition Schedule:

Philadelphia Museum of Art (11/02/10-01/16/11)

Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo, Rome (03/03/11-06/26/11)

Carlos Basualdo is Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Curator of Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Jean-François Chevrier is a lecturer on the history of art at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and an independent curator. Claire Gilman is a scholar of postwar Italian art. Gabriele Guercio is the author of Art as Existence: The Artist’s Monograph and Its Project. Suzanne Penn is Conservator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Angela Vettese is director of the Fondazione Pomodoro in Milan and the Fondazione Bevilacqua in Venice, and chair of the Art Department at Università Iuav di Venezia.