Five Essential Books by Germano Celant on the Anniversary of His Death

On the first anniversary of his death, April 29, 2020, a tribute to Germano Celant's prolific authorship highlights five key publications. Celant, the critic and curator who coined "Arte Povera," produced over fifty books. His posthumous volume "The Story of (my) Exhibitions" (Silvana Editoriale, 2021) documents 34 exhibitions he curated from 1967 to 2018. The foundational manifesto "Arte Povera: Notes for a Guerrilla War" first appeared in Flash Art in 1967, defining the movement and gathering artists like Alighiero Boetti, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Giulio Paolini, Pino Pascali, and Emilio Prini. The 1970 catalog "Conceptual Art Arte Povera Land Art" accompanied a landmark exhibition at Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna in Turin, featuring works by over 30 artists. "Arte Povera: History and Stories" (Electa, 2011) updates Celant's 1985 cult book that was never distributed. Finally, the catalog for "When Attitudes Become Form: Bern 1969/Venice 2013" at Fondazione Prada reconstructs Harald Szeemann's historic 1969 exhibition, curated by Celant with Thomas Demand and Rem Koolhaas.