Giovanni Anselmo, a pivotal figure in Italy’s groundbreaking Arte Povera movement of the 1960s, passed away at the age of 89. The Marian Goodman Gallery, Anselmo’s representative in New York, confirmed his demise.
The gallery honoured Anselmo’s significant contributions, stating, “A key protagonist of the Arte Povera movement and an artist of the Gallery for 39 years, Anselmo pursued and explored his practice in relation to nature, the finite and the indefinite, the visible and the invisible.”
Arte Povera, which translates to “poor art,” emerged as a counterpoint to traditional art forms. Giovanni Anselmo, alongside contemporaries like Jannis Kounellis and Michelangelo Pistoletto, championed the movement, creating artworks that juxtaposed industrial and organic elements. Central to his creations was the interplay of materials with natural forces like gravity, as seen in his renowned work “Torsion” (1968) housed at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Another striking piece, “Untitled (Sculpture That Eats),” exemplified Anselmo’s unique approach. This 1968 artwork featured a piece of lettuce decaying over time, causing a granite element to shift, eventually falling onto sawdust below. Such works underscored Anselmo’s deep philosophical musings on life, energy, and existence. “I, the world, things, life—we are points of energy… to keep them open and alive, functioning in our life,” he reflected.
Born in 1934 in Borgofranco d’Ivrea, Italy, Anselmo’s journey began as a self-taught painter before transitioning to sculpture. Beyond physical artworks, he ventured into conceptual pieces, such as the 1965 photographic series capturing his silhouette against the sun’s rays on a volcanic island near Sicily.
Germano Celant, a curator, conceptualized Arte Povera, advocating for the use of inexpensive materials as a rebellion against established art norms. The movement’s significance was further recognized when Anselmo exhibited extensively across Europe, including prominent showcases like the Venice Biennale and Documenta in Germany. Notably, he clinched the Golden Lion for painting at the 1990 Venice Biennale.
At the time of his passing, Anselmo was actively preparing for a retrospective at the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, set to debut in February. Additionally, his work is slated to be a highlight in a forthcoming Arte Povera exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris next autumn.
Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the curator for the Paris exhibition, penned a heartfelt tribute to Anselmo, highlighting their deep connection and his influence. “I loved him enormously. He oriented, showed me the meaning of ultramarine blue, beyond the sea, oltremare, far away and yet here, now, alive,” she reminisced.
Throughout his illustrious career, Anselmo’s creations often featured stones paired with compasses, symbolic of his perpetual quest for meaning and direction. Reflecting on his work “Direzione,” he once mused, “The work begins in the place where it is, and ends where the Earth’s magnetic fields are, the center of the planet.”
Giovanni Anselmo’s passing marks the end of an era, yet his indelible impact on the world of art and his legacy within the Arte Povera movement will continue to inspire generations to come.