The Suñol Foundation pays tribute to Italy
The exhibition “I sei sensi”, which can be seen up until the 9th of January, 2016, emphasises Josep Suñol’s relationship with Italy, the country most present in his collection
With the exhibition entitled I sei sensi (The Sixth Sense), the Suñol Foundation pays tribute to the country with most presence in the Catalan politician’s private collection: Italy. The title of the exhibition is a reference to the homonymous piece by Alighiero Boetti, a series of azure seas painted with ballpoint pen in which the ability to think stands out as a sixth sense, presenting rationality as a basic tool in artistic production.
The exhibition covers the period from 1915 to 1982 and ranges from the Futurist movement, with the amazing sculptures of Giacomo Balla, to the three-dimensional drawings of Achille Perilli and the relief work of Giuseppe Spagnulo. Where sculpture is concerned, we can also highlight the austerity of Mauro Staciolli and a piece by the renowned Lucio Fontana which, in this instance, consists of a giant birth control pill featuring one of his trademark slashes. Sculpture then gives way to the figurative, with pieces by Gastone Novelli and Nino Longobardi.
The final section is given over to conceptuality, with representations by Carlo Battaglia and Giorgio Griffa – in fact, one of Griffa’s pieces is made from a tablecloth given to him by Josep Suñol himself in 1976 when Griffa was one of the artists invited to a party-ritual organised by Antoni Miralda and Jaume Xifra to inaugurate Suñol’s new house. The collector is said to have given presents of green tablecloths which, over the years, were returned to him in the form of works of art.
This anecdote also serves to highlight the fusion of rationality and subjectivity that surrounds I sei sensi, and while the exhibition is designed in praise of thought, the personal and emotional ties that bonded Josep Suñol to Italy are very much in evidence. The exhibition, which will be on display over a period of a year, will be complemented by a series of activities and meetings with Italian artists.
I sei sensi
When: until the 9th of January 2016
Price: 4 €
where: Fundació Suñol
More information here