Mimmo Rotella, Catanzaro 1918 - 2006 Milan
Introduction
A restless innovator, Mimmo Rotella embraced a highly experimental artistic practice which placed him at the forefront of Italian Pop art. Born in Catanzaro, Rotella studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples before moving to Rome in 1945. Following a residency at Kansas City University in 1951–52, Rotella returned to Rome, where he became part of a circle of artists known as the Piazza del Popolo. The group enthusiastically explored the aesthetics and ideas of American Pop art, whose emphasis on mass-produced objects and the newly-iconic imagery of popular culture aligned perfectly with the economic boom of the Italian postwar moment, and the glamorous dolce vita of modern Rome. Rotella quickly abandoned painting for a new experimental practice, producing his first décollages by gluing to canvas strips and fragments of advertising posters ripped from the city walls. Upon the invitation of the art critic Pierre Restany, Rotella joined the Noveau Réalisme movement in 1961, moving to Paris three years later. While in the French capital he developed a new process called “Mec-Art” whereby negative images were projected onto an emulsion-covered canvas. In his subsequent Artypo and Plastiforme series, the artist glued typographic proofs onto canvas and then ripped posters to a polyurethane support. In Milan in the 1980s, Rotella created his blanks, covering the ripped posters with sheets of paper, and later his Sovrapitture, painting on top of the advertisements.
Works
Exhibitions
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Art Fair
artmonte-carlo, 14 - 16 Jul 2022Booth 19 artmonte-carlo will take place in July 2022. Robilant + Voena is pleased to present works by Alighiero Boetti, Lucio Fontana, Julian Schnabel and...Read more -
Art Fair
Masterpiece London, 30 Jun - 6 Jul 2022Booth 410 At Masterpiece London 2022, Robilant+Voena will present works by Damien Hirst, Giorgio Morandi, and Turi Simeti, among others.Read more -
Art Fair
TEFAF Maastricht, 24 - 30 Jun 2022Robilant+Voena is pleased to be participating at TEFAF Maastricht. For its 2022 edition, the gallery will exhibit a selection of works by Francesco Hayez, Nicolas...Read more
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BEYOND CANVAS
Art Basel OVR: Italian Modern Artists Pushing the 'Fabric' of Tradition to its Limits, 4 - 6 Dec 2020VIRTUAL EXHIBITION Material experimentation, technical innovation, and conceptual invention are at the core of modern Italian art. Daring and pioneering figures including Carla Accardi, Alighiero...Read more -
Creation from Destruction
Frieze Masters 2020, 7 Oct - 2 Nov 2020“Every act of creation was once an act of destruction.” - Pablo Picasso The birth of the new and unique often comes from...Read more -
Mimmo Rotella
6 Feb - 24 Mar 2015ROBILANT+VOENA are pleased to present an exhibition of Italian artist MIMMO ROTELLA, opening 5 February in their London gallery. This will be the first UK...Read more
Catalogues
News
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Press Release
Miart 2022 March 24, 20221–3 April 2022 Fiera Milano SPA Robilant+Voena is pleased to announce its 10th participation at Miart. For its 2022 edition, the gallery will exhibit a...Read more -
Press Release
Frieze Masters 2021: Virgin. Muse. Heroine. May 11, 2021LONDON Robilant+Voena is pleased to present an outstanding selection of female portraits from gold-grounds to Warhol for Frieze Masters 2021. Bold and heroic, proud and...Read more -
Exhibition Loan
Mimmo Rotella in the Galleria Nationale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome January 8, 2019Exhibition: Mimmo Rotella Manifesto Date: 30th October, 2018 - 10th February, 2019 Location: Galleria Nationale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, viale delle Belle Arti 131 -...Read more
Press
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The Renaissance of Italian Art
Jane Morris, Art Agency, Partners
May 9, 2019 'Consagra played a key role in postwar Italian sculpture,” says Benedict Tomlinson, Director of European gallery Robilant + Voena, which... -
Inside Bottega Veneta's 15,000-Square-Foot Manhattan Mansion
Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest
March 17, 2018 Tomas Maier craves authenticity. “Everything is so globalized, with so many stores that look alike in cities that have tons... -
Cinque anni di lavori, ora la casa è pronta
Paola Pollo, Il Corriere della Sera
February 11, 2018 Quadri dalla galleria d'arte Robilant+Voena nella nuova maison Bottega Veneta di Thomas Maier al 740 di Madison Avenue, New York:... -
Bottega Veneta's New York Store is a Sparkling Tribute to New York
Andrea Whittle, Conde Nast Traveller
February 6, 2018 The brand's signature woven intrecciato leather pieces for men and women, along with eyewear, shoes, watches, fragrances, jewelry and ready-to-wear... -
Snow, Schlag, and Schnabel: Kenny Schachter’s Dispatch From St. Moritz (and Predictions for 2018)
Kenny Schachter, Artnet News
January 4, 2018 I’m no fan of Christmas, New Year’s is even worse—all the contrived peace, love, and joy is frankly too much,... -
The Very Best of Frieze Masters
TextHarry Seymour, AnOther Magazine
October 16, 2015 As the good, the bad and the ugly of the art world descend on London for a plethora of fairs,... -
Money, Natural Beauty and Great Art Make St. Moritz Art Masters 2015 Irresistible
Hili Perlson, Artnet News
August 26, 2015 Many works on view by the likes of Lucio Fontana or Paolo Scheggi have not been shown in decades, and... -
London Round-up Ronchini Gallery . Robilant + Voena . Mazzoleni
Martin Holman , ART MONTHLY
April 7, 2015 MIMMO ROTELLA The value of Robilant + Voena's extensive show lies in its quality and range. -
Italian Pop Art Legend Mimmo Rotella Delights at London's Robilant+Voena
Lorena Muñoz-Alonso , Artnet News
March 17, 2015 The breadth of this exhibition reveals an artist as able to think big and brash as he is to craft... -
Review of Mimmo Rotella, Robilant + Voena, London
Daniel Barnes , Aesthetica Blog
February 15, 2015 MIMMO ROTELLA In a career spanning more than 50 years, Mimmo Rotella experimented with a number of different working methods,... -
Incanti & Gallerie
Marina Mojana , Il Sole 24 Ore
February 11, 2015 Mimmo Rotella Da Robilant+Voena fino al 24 marzo è in corso l'antologica di Mimmo Rotella. -
5 To See This Weekend
Editorial , Aesthetica Blog
February 10, 2015 MIMMO ROTELLA Mimmo Rotella, Robilant + Voena, London. Covering more than 50 years of his career, Robilant + Voena present... -
Mimmo Rotella, Décollage Innovator, Is Celebrated in His First UK Retrospective
Emily Rappaport, Artsy Editorial
February 10, 2015 MIMMO ROTELLA On February 6th, Rotella’s first UK retrospective will open at Robilant + Voena, allowing viewers to take a... -
Mimmo Rotella, Robilant + Voena
Editorial , Culture Whisper
February 9, 2015 MIMMO ROTELLA Robilant + Voena gallery, London focus on the main Mimmo Rotella techniques, which include reassembling torn posters in... -
MIMMO ROTELLA AT ROBILANT+VOENA
Angie Kordic , WIDEWALLS
February 3, 2015 MIMMO ROTELLA A big retrospective exhibition of Italian artist Mimmo Rotella is coming to the UK for the first time,... -
Anticipazioni
Editorial , Corriere della sera Sette
January 30, 2015 MIMMO ROTELLA Mimmo Rotella, Robilant+Voena, Londra. Anche questa galleria tiene alto il nome dell'arte italiana. Mimmo Rotella fu tra gli... -
Mimmo Rotella, Robilant+Voena, London
Hannah Clugston , Aesthetica
January 14, 2015 MIMMO ROTELLA Through work spanning 50 years of the artist’s long career, right up until some of his final works...