minimalism
Enrico Castellani was an Italian artist. He was active in Italy from the early 1960s, and associated with Piero Manzoni and Vincenzo Agnetti. Castellani is known for his "paintings of light". He studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure in Belgium, then settled in Milan. Castellani collaborated with artists such as Getulio Alviani, Piero Manzoni, and others. In 2010 he received the Praemium Imperiale for painting.
Robert Combas is a French painter and sculptor. He lives and works in Paris.
He is widely recognized as a progenitor of the figuration libre movement that began in Paris around 1980 as a reaction to the art establishment in general and minimalism and conceptual art in particular.
Figuration libre is often regarded as having roots in Fauvism and Expressionism and is linked to contemporary movements such as Bad Painting and Neo-expressionism. It draws on pop cultural influences such as graffiti, cartoons and rock music in an attempt to produce a more varied, direct and honest reflection of contemporary society, often satirizing or critiquing its excesses.
Piero Manzoni was an Italian artist. He was a leading figure in the Italian avant-garde movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and is best known for his conceptual and performance artworks.
Manzoni's works often involved the use of unconventional materials, such as his famous series of "Artist's Shit" cans, which were filled with his own excrement and sealed with a label that declared "Artist's Shit". He also created works using cotton balls, balloons, and even human hair.
One of Manzoni's most famous performances was "Living Sculptures," in which he covered himself in gold paint and posed as a living statue in a gallery. He also created a "Base of the World," a pedestal labeled with that phrase, and invited people to stand on it, thereby declaring themselves the center of the world.
Manzoni's works challenged traditional notions of art and pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable as artistic expression.
Agnes Martin was an American abstract painter. Her work has been defined as an "essay in discretion on inward-ness and silence". Although she is often considered or referred to as a minimalist, Martin considered herself an abstract expressionist and was one of the leading practitioners of Abstract Expressionism in the 20th century. She was awarded a National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1998. She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2004.
Léopold Survage was a French painter of Finnish origin. Trained in Moscow, he identified with the Russian avant-garde before moving to Paris, where he shared a studio with Amedeo Modigliani and experimented with abstract movies. He also gained commissions for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.
Félix González-Torres was a Cuban-born American visual artist. He lived and worked primarily in New York City between 1979 and 1995 after attending university in Puerto Rico. González-Torres was known for his minimalist installations and sculptures composed of everyday materials such as strings of lightbulbs, clocks, stacks of paper, or packaged hard candies. In 1987, he joined Group Material, a New York-based group of artists whose intention was to work collaboratively, adhering to principles of cultural activism and community education, much of which was influenced by the artist's experience as an openly gay man. González-Torres is known for having made significant contributions to the field of conceptual art in the 1980s and 1990s. His practice continues to influence and be influenced by present-day cultural discourses.
Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman, and printmaker, renowned for his distinctive elongated sculptures of solitary figures. Born in Borgonovo, Switzerland, in 1901, into a family of artists, Giacometti's talent was evident from an early age, encouraged by his father, Giovanni, a post-Impressionist painter, and his godfather, Cuno Amiet, a Fauvist painter. Moving to Paris in 1922 to study under the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, Giacometti became a pivotal figure in Surrealism before focusing intensely on the human form, leading to his signature style of thin, elongated figures that evoke feelings of solitude and existential dread.
Giacometti's work spans several decades and various phases, including his early involvement with Surrealism and his later, more recognized existential and figurative sculptures. Notably, his sculptures, such as "Walking Man I" and "The Palace at 4 a.m.," reflect his unique view of reality and his relentless pursuit to capture the human essence. His approach was influenced by his associations with prominent figures of the art world, including Miró and Picasso, and intellectuals like Jean-Paul Sartre.
Despite facing challenges, including periods of self-doubt and the physical toll on his health, Giacometti's legacy as a master sculptor and artist remains influential. His works are celebrated worldwide and featured in major museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Gallery in London, testament to his enduring impact on the art world.
Collectors and experts in art and antiques continue to revere Giacometti's work for its emotional depth and unique aesthetic. For those interested in the pioneering spirit of modern sculpture, Alberto Giacometti's oeuvre offers a profound exploration of the human condition and the artist's relentless pursuit of reality through art.
To stay updated on sales and auction events related to Alberto Giacometti's work, sign up for updates. This subscription is an excellent opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to remain informed about new discoveries and opportunities related to Giacometti's enduring legacy.
Urs Fischer is a Swiss-born contemporary visual artist living in New York City. Fischer’s practice includes sculpture, installation and photography.
Larry Bell is an American contemporary artist and sculptor. He is best known for his glass boxes and large-scaled illusionistic sculptures. He is a grant recipient from, among others, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, and his artworks are found in the collections of many major cultural institutions.