Carmelo Arden Quin's Shaped Canvases at MAAB Gallery Milan
MAAB Gallery in Milan is hosting an exhibition of Carmelo Arden Quin (1913–2010), the Uruguayan-born artist known for pioneering shaped canvases before Frank Stella or Roy Lichtenstein. Quin, co-founder of the Madí movement in 1946, deconstructed the traditional rectangular support to reject Albertian perspective, creating geometric abstraction that evokes a mechanical, technological universe. His work expands real space around, in front of, and behind the painting, offering an honest, prosaic world full of possibilities. The show highlights his contribution to redefining pictorial space, akin to Lucio Fontana's contemporaneous innovations.
Key facts
- Carmelo Arden Quin was born in Rivera, Uruguay in 1913 and died in Savigny-sur-Orge, France in 2010.
- He is considered a pioneer of shaped canvases, predating Frank Stella and Roy Lichtenstein.
- Quin co-founded the Madí movement in 1946 in South America.
- His work features geometric abstraction with a mechanical, technological aesthetic.
- The exhibition is held at MAAB Gallery in Milan.
- Quin's practice deconstructs the rectangular support, challenging Albertian window perspective.
- His approach is compared to Lucio Fontana's spatial concepts.
- The show emphasizes real spatial engagement rather than illusory depth.
Entities
Artists
- Carmelo Arden Quin
- Frank Stella
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Lucio Fontana
- Gabriele Salvaterra
Institutions
- MAAB Gallery
- Artribune
- Madí
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Rivera
- Uruguay
- Savigny-sur-Orge
- France
- South America