Museum-Quality Exhibition of Nanni Balestrini's Work Opens in Florence

Frittelli Arte Contemporanea in Florence is presenting a comprehensive solo exhibition dedicated to the late Italian artist, poet, and intellectual Nanni Balestrini. Titled 'La rivolta illustrata,' the show runs from January 17 to April 17, 2026, marking seven years since Balestrini's death in 2019. Curated by Marco Scotini, the presentation is described as having museum-level significance due to its extensive scope and critical perspective. The exhibition traces Balestrini's six-decade career, beginning with his early 1960s 'Pagine' series, which explored neo-avant-garde collage techniques by fragmenting and recombining printed text to create visual forms. Key series on display include 'Quindici' (1969) and 'Potere Operaio' (1975), which combine creative manipulation of communication with documentation of political struggles from that era. The exhibition title references Balestrini's 1976 book 'La violenza illustrata,' reflecting his practice of treating words as images and vice versa. Later works include the 1980 'Cagediris' series (30 pieces) and 'Ondulé' (1981), which responded to the return to painting while avoiding neo-expressionism. The show also features experimental series like 'Interni' (1988), 'Pils' (1991) using crumpled plastic materials, and 'Fax Poem' (1992). Later career works include 'Dufy 1-2, Cielo 1-2, Mare 1' (2013), 'La machine à fantasmes' (2015), and 'Cento fiori' (2018), demonstrating Balestrini's ongoing exploration of linguistic-visual material. The exhibition highlights how Balestrini consistently operated between literature and visual art, developing what the curator describes as an organic evolution rather than nostalgic revival of earlier styles.