Spoleto, Collicola Palace of Visual Arts
June 25th – October 30th 2011
L. Ontani, «mar’DEI guttAvi» (2009) e Auroboru Serpentine (2010),
exhibition view, 2011
Donato Amstutz, Richard Avedon, Tony Cragg, Carlo Gavazzeni, Anselm Kiefer, Yayoi Kusama, Donatella Landi, Francesco Mernini, Luigi Ontani, Pablo Picasso, Josè Maria Sicilia, Hiroshi Sugimoto, James Turrell, Cy Twombly, Rachel Whiteread, Chen Zhen.
Great Masters of XX Century Art along with young talents of the XXI, some of them discovered by Valentina Moncada, some other part of her collection: all together in this big exhibition called Valentina Moncada Conteporary Odyssey, a ‘travel’ whose aim is to recompose the different steps of her career as gallerist, curator and collectionist. The artists that she met when they were still young, today are main characters of International art scene, revealing her sensible intuition for talents and her visionary chaises.
The exhibition is displayed along the beautiful rooms of the XVIII Century Collicola Palace, today Museum of Visual Arts, where for more then fifty years it is organized a famous Festival directing attention to all the avant-garde arts. The exhibition opens with an important work of Cy Twombly, (Roman Notes, 1970) never exhibited before, followed by an installation (Airplane, 1979) of Tony Cragg, English artist whom Valentina Moncada dedicated in 1990 one of the first exhibitions at her brand-new gallery. In the long gallery of the palace are displayed 27 masks of Luigi Ontani, inspired by important artists working in via Margutta during the past centuries, 13 of them presented at the Serpentine Gallery of London, so unseen in Italy.
Moreover: a work of Chen Zhen (La Lucidità dell’agonia/distacco n.3, 1990), very famous Chinese artist who exhibited at the Valentina Moncada Gallery in 1991 for the first solo exhibition of his career, and a work of the Japanese Yayoi Kusama (Shoe in Silver”, 1976), donated by the artist to Valentina Moncada in occasion of her solo exhibition at the gallery in 1993. The installation of James Turrell, one of the most renowned International artists, is a sculpture made by colorful light, here recreated as it was exhibited at the Valentina Moncada Gallery in 2001 in his first solo exhibition in Italy. Another work never shown before is the big lead book of Anselm Kiefer (Star Book, 2003): over the pages the constellations are represented. The English artist Rachel Whiteread presents a work (Untitled, Ceiling) coming from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation, and a big painting of Josè Maria Sicilia, a worldwide famous Spanish artist. For the first time overall three shots of the Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto are exhibited along with six unseen photos of Richard Avedon shot in 1946, all portraits of the model Theo Graham. Another room of the palace is entirely dedicated to Donatella Landi and her big sound installation Freihafen (1992). Among the youngest artists: Donato Amstutz, with one of his embroidered canvas, Carlo Gavazzeni with a photo and Francesco Mernini with a sculpture. In conclusion the homage to Pablo Picasso, with the three mannequins designed by the artist for the ballet called “Parade” during his journey in Rome in 1917.
Catalogue: Valentina Moncada Conteporary Odyssey, curated by Gianluca Marziani, Palazzo Collicola Arti Visive, Spoleto 2011.
