Emilio Prini

Fondazione Merz presents a solo retrospective dedicated to one of the pioneers of the Arte Povera movement Emilio Prini (1943–2016), the first since the artist’s passing. In collaboration with the Emilio Prini Archive, the exhibition is curated by Beatrice Merz and Timotea Prini.

For the first time a body of over 40 works by Emilio Prini, dating from 1966 to 2016, will be displayed to offer a critical and historical reflection on the experience of one of the most enigmatic representatives of Arte Povera. The exhibition and layout were conceived by the curators to respect the artist’s philosophy, and reflect on Prini as a man, friend, and father.

The subject of this special tribute to the enigmatic figure of Emilio Prini is the in-depth research that characterised his production, developed with a range of media including photography, writing and sound text, and articulated in different macro themes: denial and annulment of the work, the spatial relationship between empty and full, the standardization of object and measure, the contrast between the visible and the invisible.

The selection on display includes iconic works such as Autoritratto (1968) and Perimetro misura a studio stanza (1968), sculptural works on the concept of object standardisation and research into photography such as Vetrina (1974/75) or the more than 40,000 stills of Film Tv, 5 min. (1969), in addition to the more recent project entitled La Pimpa Il Vuoto (2008), constructed with images taken from the famous Altan comic strip.

This is a deserved tribute to the controversial, elusive, and provocative artist, whose works were rarely exhibited in public. The exhibition is also an opportunity to retrace the friendship and deep mutual respect between Emilio Prini and Mario Merz.

The exhibition is enriched with extensive unpublished archive documentation that includes photo clippings, notes and sketches. The works come from the Prini family Collection, as well as private collectors who over the years have carefully followed the artist’s work, and from loans made by public institutions, including the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein of Vaduz, the Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea and the MASI of Lugano.

Emilio Prini (Stresa, 1943–Rome 2016) was an exponent of Arte Povera, one of the most influential and radical art movements of recent times and closely connected to the political and social context of the second half of the twentieth century. Starting in 1967, the year of his debut with the exhibition curated by Germano Celant Arte povera–Im Spazio at the Galleria La Bertesca in Genoa, Prini took part in the most significant shows of the time: Op Losse Schroeven at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1969); When Attitudes Become Form at the Kunsthalle Bern (1969); Conceptual Art, Arte Povera, Land Art at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin (1970); Information, MoMA, New York (1970), Contemporanea, Villa Borghese, Rome (1973). Since the early 1980s, in keeping with his thinking and without ever interrupting his work, he limited his participation in exhibitions and artistic events. Among these were Identité Italienne. L’art en Italie depuis 1985, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (1981), Ouverture, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rivoli (To) (1984), Documenta X, Kassel (1997), and Zero to Infinity. Arte Povera 1962-1972, Tate Modern London (2001). Prini’s stance was non-conformist and orthodox with regard to the artistic practice and the codes of the art system.

With the support of Regione Piemonte, Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT. Thanks to Città di Torino and Kuhn & Bülow.

Press contacts: 
Melissa Emery, SUTTON: melissa [​at​] suttoncomms.com / T +44 (0) 207 183 3577
PCM Studio di Paola C. Manfredi: press [​at​] paolamanfredi.com / T +39 02 36769480
Nadia Biscaldi, Fondazione Merz: press [​at​] fondazionemerz.org / T +39 011 19719436