Gianni Bertini retrospective at Fondazione Biscozzi-Rimbaud in Lecce

Fondazione Biscozzi-Rimbaud in Lecce presents 'Gianni Bertini. Storia di un uomo senza storia', a retrospective dedicated to the Italian artist Gianni Bertini (1922–2010), a key figure of Mec-Art (Mechanical Art). Curated by his son Thierry Bertini and Roberto Lacarbonara, the exhibition features over 40 paintings, a selection of artist's books, and an unpublished 1953 novel from which the title is drawn. The works span from 1946 to the 1970s, tracing Bertini's evolution from the 'Gridi' cycle of the 1940s—using stamped numbers, letters, and geometric forms—through his Informal phase of the 1950s influenced by Gillo Dorfles and the Movimento d'Arte Concreta (M.A.C.), to his 'mechanical turn' after moving to Paris in 1951 and meeting critic Pierre Restany. Bertini adhered to the Mec-Art manifesto in 1965, adopting mechanical reproduction techniques and photographic imagery to critique consumer society. The exhibition runs until September 13, 2026.