In the 1960s and 70s both society and art underwent dynamic changes. In Italy, the link between art, culture and radical-reforming efforts was particularly strong.

The Arte Povera movement gave rise to artistic approaches that poeticised everyday life and honed people's sense of time in an attempt to unite ephemeral action and material objects. The actions of the Arte Povera artists eclectically interwove elements of process, performance and theatre.

Live animals, such as horses or a white peacock, appeared in exhibition situations, embedded in narrative processes. A horse rider wearing a mask of Apollo sat motionless on his steed in a gallery; a man raced through gallery spaces on roller-skates, watched by an albino dog; an actor recited Flaubert in a mirrored cube; gigantic megaphones sounded out for justice; large parasols rotated in a cosmic constellation. Streets and forests, palaces and garages became venues, as did the sky, explored in a Cessna 175.

The exhibition Entrare nell'opera [Entering the Work] illustrates the diversity of the art and cognitive processes involved, allowing visitors to be a part of this living sphere of action. In addition to legendary artworks, the show also features several barely known photographic and film documents.

The exhibition, conceived in close collaboration with the artists or their estates, is a production of Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein in cooperation with MAMC+ / Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Saint-Étienne, France, and will be on view there from 30 November 2019 on. Curated by Christiane Meyer-Stoll with Nike Bätzner, Maddalena Disch and Valentina Pero. The show is accompanied by a publication that presents the first comprehensive account of the actions of Arte Povera.

Artists in the exhibition:

Giovanni Anselmo (*1934), Alighiero e Boetti (1940–1994), Pier Paolo Calzolari (*1943), Luciano Fabro (1936–2007), Jannis Kounellis (1936–2017), Eliseo Mattiacci (*1940), Mario Merz (1925–2003), Marisa Merz (*1926), Giulio Paolini (*1940), Pino Pascali (1935–1968), Giuseppe Penone (*1947), Michelangelo Pistoletto (*1933), Emilio Prini (1943–2016) and Gilberto Zorio (*1944).

More pictures to this exhibition

  • Entrare nell'opera
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zurich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Entrare nell'opera
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zurich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Entrare nell'opera
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zurich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Entrare nell'opera
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zurich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Entrare nell'opera
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zurich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Opening
  • Thu, 6.6.2019
    18.00
  • Guided tours
  • Thu, 13.6.2019
    18.00
  • Thu, 4.7.2019
    18.00
  • Thu, 29.8.2019
    18.00
  • Thu 6.6.

    Opening

    Entrare nell’opera.
    Processes and Performative Attitudes in Arte Povera
  • Thu 13.6.

    Guided tour

    Entrare nell'opera
    Processes and Performative Attitudes in Arte Povera
    with Christiane Meyer-Stoll
  • Thu 13.6.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    mit Violinist und Ballerina
  • Thu 27.6.

    Take Away

    Entrare nell’opera.
    Processes and Performative Attitudes in Arte Povera
    Short guided tour during the lunch break
  • Thu 4.7.

    Guided tour

    Entrare nell’opera.
    Processes and Performative Attitudes in Arte Povera
    with Brigitte Walk and Christiane Meyer-Stoll
  • Sun 7.7.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    with violinist und ballerina
  • Sun 7.7.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    with violinist und ballerina
  • Sun 7.7.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    with violinist und ballerina
  • Sun 4.8.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    mit Violinist und Ballerina
  • Sun 4.8.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    mit Violinist und Ballerina
  • Sun 4.8.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    mit Violinist und Ballerina
  • Thu 29.8.

    Take Away

    Entrare nell’opera.
    Processes and Performative Attitudes in Arte Povera
    Short guided tour during the lunch break
  • Thu 29.8.

    Guided tour

    Entrare nell’opera.
    Processes and Performative Attitudes in Arte Povera
    with Christina Jacoby
  • Thu 29.8.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    with violinist and ballerina
  • Sun 1.9.

    One Hour

    Artist talk with Michelangelo Pistoletto
    with Nike Bätzner, co-curator of the exhibition
  • Sun 1.9.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    with violinist and ballerina
  • Sun 1.9.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    with violinist and ballerina
  • Sun 1.9.

    Re-enactment

    Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (Da inventare sul posto), 1971
    with violinist and ballerina