Donald Judd once referred to the Italian artist Enrico Castellani as the ‘father of minimalism’. Back in 1959, together with his close friend Piero Manzoni, Castellani co-founded a gallery and journal in Milan called Azimut, in which both Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns unveiled seminal works – a true creative, to say the least. Today, at 85 years old, Castellani, who was originally trained as an architect, still remains productive, producing works out of a studio located about an hour and a half from Rome.
After a show in London earlier this year, Dominique Lévy New York is presenting a selection of Castellani’s work, much of which is on view in the United States for the first time. The concept for the show is that ‘Castellani has always been working with this idea of his works as interfering or an intervention in space, and working with light, and blurring the lines of perspective and angles’, says Emilio Steinberger, senior director at Dominique Lévy, who has worked with Castellani for several years. ‘The show puts together large works, in white, whether they’re new or older works, with his more object-like paintings, which are [the] corner paintings. Some are very recent, and some are older.’
The show displays Castellani’s mastery of manipulating light and form, bringing his hand-stretched canvases to life. The oldest work, Superficie angolare rossa (1961), is comprised of two red sides that meet and jut out at the corner. ‘Most artists avoid the corner, and here’s Castellani attacking the corner, and changing the way you see a corner or perspective,’ says Steinberger.
Castellani used nails under a stretched-out canvas to form a sort of dance between the light, angles and the shadows, like in the 2008 diptych Superficie bianca – Dittico.‘The parts [where] the nail is pushing [the] canvas very taught almost feels like a different white, like it’s lighter than the deeper part of the white – so that’s dealing with space and light,’ says Steinberger.
Through its wide display of the artist’s oeuvre, the exhibition demonstrates Castellani’s background as both an architect and artist. ‘His idea is to activate the surface, which is the canvas, by making this three-dimensional thing,’ Steinberger concludes.
Once referred to as the ‘father of minimalism’ by Donald Judd, Castellani still remains productive, producing works out of a studio located outside of Rome
The concept for the show is that ‘Castellani has always been working with this idea of his works as interfering or an intervention in space, and working with light, and blurring the lines of perspective and angles’, says Emilio Steinberger, senior director at Dominique Lévy
He adds, ‘The show puts together large works, in white, whether they’re new or older works, with his more object-like paintings, which are [the] corner paintings. Some are very recent, and some are older.’ Pictured: Spartito, 1969/2004
The show displays Castellani’s mastery of manipulating light and form, bringing his hand-stretched canvases to life. The oldest work, Superficie angolare rossa (1961) (pictured), is comprised of two red sides that meet and jut out at the corner
The exhibition demonstrates Castellani’s background as both an architect and artist (pictured). ‘His idea is to activate the surface, which is the canvas, by making this three-dimensional thing,’ says Steinberger
INFORMATION
'Enrico Castellani: Interior Space' is on view until 21 May. For more information, visit Dominique Lévy's website
Photography courtesy of the artist and gallery
ADDRESS
Dominique Lévy
909 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10021
-
A new Tadao Ando monograph unveils the creative process guiding the architect's practiceNew monograph ‘Tadao Ando. Sketches, Drawings, and Architecture’ by Taschen charts decades of creative work by the Japanese modernist master
-
Inside the sculptural and sensual philosophy of jewellery house RenisisSardwell, founder of jewellery house Renisis, draws on sculpture, travel and theatre to create pieces that fuse sensual form with spiritual resonance
-
Feldspar's furniture is designed to make you smileFeldspar's furniture debut includes a dining table, side tables, a bench, a floor lamp and the possibility of a cheval mirror, all made in their workshop in Devon
-
Stephen Prina borrows from pop, classical and modern music: now MoMA pays tribute to his performance work‘Stephen Prina: A Lick and a Promise’ recalls the artist, musician, and composer’s performances, and is presented throughout MoMA. Prina tells us more
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekWith the return of back-to-school, it's back to business for the Wallpaper* team, who’ve been making the rounds at fashion pop-ups and pavilion launches. Elsewhere, we’ve been indulging in new literature and old restaurants, and taking in a farewell exhibition at a landmark gallery...
-
Curtains up, Kid Harpoon rethinks the sound of Broadway production ‘Art’He’s crafted hits with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus; now songwriter and producer Kid Harpoon (aka Tom Hull) tells us about composing the music for the new, all-star Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Art’
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekHere in the UK, summer seems to be fading fast. Moody skies and showers called for early-autumn rituals for the Wallpaper* team: retreating into the depths of the Tate Modern, slipping into shadowy cocktail bars, and curling up with a good book
-
Richard Prince recontextualises archival advertisements in TexasThe artist unites his ‘Posters’ – based on ads for everything from cat pictures to nudes – at Hetzler, Marfa
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAnother week, another flurry of events, opening and excursions showcasing the best of culture and entertainment at home and abroad. Catch our editors at Scandi festivals, iconic jazz clubs, and running the length of Manhattan…
-
The best Ruth Asawa exhibition is actually on the streets of San FranciscoThe artist, now the subject of a major retrospective at SFMOMA, designed many public sculptures scattered across the Bay Area – you just have to know where to look
-
Orlando Museum of Art wants to showcase more Latin American and Hispanic artists. Do you fit the bill?The Florida gallery calls for for Hispanic and Latin American artists to submit their work for an ongoing exhibition
