Gastone Novelli's Solo Presentation at Art Basel by ML Fine Art
At Art Basel, ML Fine Art presents a dedicated booth for Italian artist Gastone Novelli (1925–1968), illustrating his evolution from expressionism to geometric abstraction and informal art, shaped by influences such as Max Bill, Paul Klee, and Cy Twombly. Novelli endured significant trauma during WWII, having been arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death, but was liberated by Allied forces on June 4, 1944. After pursuing political science in Florence and holding his first solo exhibition in Rome (1950), he relocated to Brazil until 1954, returning to Rome in 1955 to work with Achille Perilli. The 1960s marked his rise to fame, highlighted by a solo exhibition at the 1964 Venice Biennale. His defiant spirit is celebrated at Art Basel, merging allegorical symbols with personal experience.
Key facts
- ML Fine Art presents a solo booth on Gastone Novelli at Art Basel.
- Novelli was born in Vienna in 1925 and died in Milan in 1968.
- He participated in the Italian Resistance in 1943, was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death.
- His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment; he was freed by Allied troops on June 4, 1944.
- He earned a degree in Political and Social Sciences in Florence in 1945.
- His first solo exhibition was at Teatro Sistina in Rome in 1950.
- He lived in Brazil from 1950 to 1954, where he met Max Bill and was influenced by Klee.
- In 1957, he shifted to informal art after meeting Tristan Tzara, André Masson, Man Ray, and Hans Arp in Paris.
- He co-founded the magazine L'esperienza moderna.
- He won the Gollin Prize at the 1964 Venice Biennale.
- He was friends with Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg, and Willem de Kooning.
- In 1968, he protested at the Venice Biennale by turning his works to the wall.
- The booth at Art Basel is part of the Feature sector.
Entities
Artists
- Gastone Novelli
- Max Bill
- Paul Klee
- Achille Perilli
- Tristan Tzara
- André Masson
- Man Ray
- Hans Arp
- Cy Twombly
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Willem de Kooning
- Lev Trotsky
Institutions
- ML Fine Art
- Art Basel
- Teatro Sistina
- Biennale di Venezia
- Karsten Greve
- L'esperienza moderna
- rivistasegno.eu
Locations
- Vienna
- Austria
- Milan
- Italy
- Rome
- Florence
- Brazil
- San Paolo
- Paris
- France
- New York
- USA
- Venice