CIMA's 'Facing America' Reexamines Mario Schifano's Pop Art Legacy

The Center for Italian Modern Art (CIMA) in New York presents 'Facing America: Mario Schifano 1960-65,' a focused exhibition running until November 13, 2021, curated by Francesco Guzzetti. Rather than a retrospective, the show examines Schifano's relationship with American culture during his 1963-64 stay in New York, where he lived on Broadway in the Village and connected with Pop artists like Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jim Dine. The exhibition features about thirty works, including early monochromes like the 1959 cement piece 'Pittura' and enamel-on-paper works from 1960-61, alongside later figurative pieces from his 'Propaganda' series. Schifano's inclusion in the 1962 'The New Realists' show at Sidney Janis Gallery—alongside Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, and George Segal—marked his U.S. debut, facilitated by gallerist Ileana Sonnabend. The show contrasts Schifano's critical take on consumerism with American Pop's celebration, as seen in works like 'Grande particolare di propaganda' (1962) featuring the Coca-Cola logo. A highlight is the 'Words & Drawings' series co-created with poet Frank O'Hara, documenting their transatlantic perceptions. The exhibition concludes with Schifano's own photographs of New York, offering a contemplative view of the city. CIMA's loft space at 421 Broome Street in SoHo also displays works by Johns, Rauschenberg, and Dine to contextualize the dialogue.