Barry X Ball's Retrospective at Villa Panza Explores Technology and Tradition

Barry X Ball (born 1955, Pasadena) presents a major retrospective at Villa Panza in Varese, Italy, featuring nearly sixty works spanning his career from minimalist beginnings to his current figurative phase. The villa, donated to FAI in 1996 by Giuseppe and Giovanna Panza, provides the setting for the exhibition, which includes early gold-ground pieces inspired by medieval polyptychs and later stone portraits in marble, alabaster, onyx, and lapis lazuli. Highlights include a double portrait of Ball and Matthew Barney, six stone portraits in dialogue with the villa, and a portrait of Matthew McCaslin placed in the bathroom. The show concludes on the ground floor with black-and-white sculptures, though technology here may overshadow expression. At Milan's Castello Sforzesco, an appendix features a speculative mirrored copy of Michelangelo's Pietà Rondanini, with Ball replacing Christ's face with Michelangelo's portrait, using ultratranslucent Iranian marble and custom lighting. Ball's shift to figuration began in 1995 with 'A Profusion of Loss,' referencing Leonardo's Battle of Anghiari. He cites influences from Giotto, Duccio, Simone Martini, and Fra Angelico. Ball describes his work as optimistic, seeking celebration over pessimism, and emphasizes that technology is a tool, not an end. He uses 3D scanning to capture details unseen by original artists, combining it with manual labor. The exhibition, titled 'The End of History,' was reviewed by Stefano Castelli for Artribune.