Gilbert & George and Ileana Sonnabend: Mantua Exhibition Traces a Fruitful Partnership
An exhibition at Mantua's Palazzo della Ragione showcases the partnership between the London artists Gilbert & George and gallerist Ileana Sonnabend, marking its opening during the thirtieth Festivaletteratura. This display is part of the ongoing Sonnabend Collection, which has been available since autumn. Their collaboration began in 1971 when Sonnabend introduced Gilbert & George at her new SoHo gallery in New York, where they performed The Singing Sculpture. The exhibition features twenty-three charcoal drawings known as The General Jungle and has redefined sculpture, attracting international acclaim. Their history with Sonnabend reached a peak with the 2012 London Pictures exhibition. The Mantua showcase includes eight installations, many making their Italian debut, exploring themes such as sex, politics, and urban identity over fifty years.
Fatti principali
- The exhibition is held at Palazzo della Ragione in Mantua, Italy, as part of the Sonnabend Collection display.
- It was inaugurated during the thirtieth edition of Festivaletteratura.
- Gilbert & George's relationship with Ileana Sonnabend began in 1971 with the opening of her New York gallery at 420 West Broadway, SoHo.
- For the gallery opening, they performed The Singing Sculpture, dressed in three-button suits with bronze and gold painted faces, moving to Underneath the Arches by Flanagan and Allen.
- The gallery walls featured twenty-three charcoal drawings titled The General Jungle, depicting the duo in London parks.
- Their collaboration included the 2012 London Pictures exhibition, held two years before Ileana Sonnabend's death, with over 300 works shown concurrently at galleries like White Cube in London.
- Curator Mario Codognato emphasizes that the partnership went beyond commercial contracts, with Sonnabend and Antonio Homem sharing a vision where the artists' life and body coincided with the artwork.
- The Mantua show features eight monumental installations, many premiering in Italy, covering fifty years from The Bar II to recent photographic grid works.
Entità
Artisti
- Gilbert & George
- Ileana Sonnabend
- Mario Codognato
- Antonio Homem
- Flanagan and Allen
Istituzioni
- Palazzo della Ragione
- Sonnabend Collection
- Festivaletteratura
- Sonnabend Foundation
- White Cube
- Sonnabend Collection Mantova
- Sonnabend Gallery
Luoghi
- Mantua
- Italy
- New York
- United States
- SoHo
- West Broadway
- London
- United Kingdom
- Spitalfields