There is an incredible exhibition currently on show at Blenheim Palace of Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto who is the extraordinary artist considered the founding father of the Arte Povera movement and who has continually pushed boundaries since the 1960’s with his provocative and playful works.
This solo exhibition showcases over fifty of Pistoletto’s individual works spanning from paintings, sculptures and site specific installations. Classical antiquity is seen to be colliding with post-war consumerism in his Venus of the Rags piece ( see image below) where the classical goddess is leaning against a large pile of waste material. This work clearly exemplifies the artists anti establishment use of cheap materials to make high art, a provocative move which started an artistic revolution and cemented him as one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century.
This is the third exhibition organised by The Blenheim Art Foundation which was founded in 2014 with an inaugural show by controversial Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Wei Wei . Following the success of Ai Wei Wei’s exhibition the foundation in 2015 showcased a solo exhibition of Lawrence Weiner, considered the founding figure of Conceptual Art.
The non profit organisation established by dedicated collector of contemporary art Lord Edward Spencer Churchill aims to challenge convention by breaking away form the “white cube” gallery way of presenting contemporary art today. The foundation engages and excites visitors with unique contemporary bodies of work against the spectacular background of the Palace creating an ever so trending blend of classical and contemporary. Set in 2000 acres of parkland, the Palace is a UNESCO world heritage site since 1987 and was famously known as Sir Winston Churchill’s birthplace.
Michelangelo Pistoletto at Blenheim Palace runs from 15th September – 31st December 2016 – please visit website HERE
This article by Olivia Innocenti Buckley first appeared on the website Wild Free Innocent