Villa Paloma hosts Pier Paolo Calzolari exhibition
The exhibition features some thirty works created by the Italian artist between 1960 and 2014. © Communication Department
The Italian artist is the focus of a brand-new exhibition at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (NMNM).
More than thirty works are currently on display on the three floors of the Villa Paloma. All were created by Pier Paolo Calzolari between 1960 and 2014. The name of the new exhibition, “Casa idéale”, is taken from a text-manifesto with that title, written by the artist in 1968.
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The exhibition takes us to the heart of the povera arte movement (literally ‘poor art’) that emerged in Italy in the 1960s, embodying a rejection of the consumer society (and American imperialism in particular), with a focus on the use of simple materials, often natural or salvaged items. We can see these materials in Pier Paolo Calzolari’s works, including tobacco leaves, fire, frost, metal, or lead, but also daily items typical of povera arte.
“Calzolari’s work is striking on account of its infinitely poetic nature,” writes the NMNM. Its director, Björn Dahlström, discovered the artist’s work in the 90s in a Parisian exhibition. “This is someone who has created a universe by combining very unusual materials, like a real alchemist, and with a comprehensive approach,” he told Monaco Info.
You can visit the exhibition at Villa Paloma until 7 April 2024.