Although Francesco Lo Savio died aged twenty-eight in 1963, this is
the first exhibition in Britain of this important artist. In presenting
two key wall pieces Peer proposes that Lo Savio's work deserves equal
consideration to that of his contemporaries, Piero Manzoni and Yves
Klein.
Lo Savio is particularly highly regarded by artists and a small devoted
following, but continues to be little known outside his native Italy.
As a trained architect he worked on blueprint, as well as on canvas,
and on sheet metal. But the materiality of the work is always pared
down, the surfaces melding into surrounding space. In structure the
work anticipates American Minimalism but in its effect – canvas and
steel are translated into direct experience of space and light – it
prefigures the achievements of conceptual art.
Peer has published the first English language monograph on Lo Savio.
The book reproduces for the first time as fairly as possible to its
effects, a large body of Lo Savio's work. It contains essays by Udo
Kultermann, Achille Bonito Oliva, Stella Santacatterina and Jon Thompson,
as well as writing by Lo Savio and by his friend and philosopher Emilio
Villa. All texts are in English and Italian.
Monograph edited by Alex Sainsbury with essays by Udo Kultermann, Achille
Bonito Oliva, Stella Santacatterina and Jon Thompson.
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Space-Light (Spazio-Luce), 1959
Synthetic resin on canvas (resina sintetica su tela)
110 x 130 cm
Studio Casoli, Milan
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