Agostino Ferrari on Friendship with Piero Manzoni and the Sign as Medium
Agostino Ferrari, turning 80, reflects on his artistic journey from copying landscapes in Milan to founding the Gruppo del Cenobio in 1962 with Angelo Verga, Arturo Vermi, Ugo La Pietra, and Ettore Sordini. The group defended painting through minimal signs, opposing Piero Manzoni's erasure of the image. Ferrari recalls Manzoni as a friend and drinking companion, while Lucio Fontana was a mentor. His work centers on the sign as a trace of life and a medium to explore human experience. He recently published a General Catalogue of his oeuvre, spanning large works on canvas and paper, though excluding about 2,000 smaller drawings. Ferrari also discusses the color as a mood that complements the sign, and his conceptual period 'La rifondazione' (1979-1983) where the sign became a Proustian madeleine. He laments the lack of influential young collectives today compared to the 1960s groups like the Cenobio, which thrived on mutual support among artists.
Key facts
- Agostino Ferrari turns 80 in less than a month.
- He began painting at 19, copying landscapes around Milan with a classmate.
- Remo Brindisi was the first professional to recognize his talent.
- Ferrari frequented Bar Jamaica in Brera, befriending other artists.
- In 1962, he co-founded Gruppo del Cenobio with Angelo Verga, Arturo Vermi, Ugo La Pietra, and Ettore Sordini.
- The group opposed Piero Manzoni's annihilation of the image, defending painting through minimal signs.
- Ferrari describes the sign as 'the trace of life' and a medium between existence and reality.
- He recently presented the General Catalogue of his work, which includes larger pieces on canvas and paper but not about 2,000 smaller drawings.
- Between 1979 and 1983, he entered the 'La rifondazione' phase, using the sign as a nostalgic madeleine.
- He notes that after the Transavanguardia, no significant artist groups have emerged, unlike the collaborative 1960s.
Entities
Artists
- Agostino Ferrari
- Piero Manzoni
- Lucio Fontana
- Bruno Munari
- Remo Brindisi
- Angelo Verga
- Arturo Vermi
- Ugo La Pietra
- Ettore Sordini
Institutions
- Gruppo del Cenobio
- Gruppo 63
- Memphis
- Bar Jamaica
- Artribune
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Brera
- Palermo