Giulio Paolini's New Collage 'Grazie a Giacinto' Explained by Sergio Risaliti

Sergio Risaliti, director of Museo Novecento in Florence, inaugurates the 'Ultime notizie' column on Artribune with a critical text and video about Giulio Paolini's latest collage 'Grazie a Giacinto…'. The work originated from photographs taken by curator Giacinto di Pietrantonio at the Canova-Thorvaldsen exhibition at Gallerie d'Italia in Milan. Di Pietrantonio captured Antonio Canova's marble sculpture 'La principessa Leopoldina Esterházy Liechtenstein', which reminded him of Paolini's 'Tre per tre' (2006) at GAMEC Bergamo. Paolini then appropriated the photo and Canova's invention, creating a collage that cites the statue twice using mise en abyme. The composition includes a full view of the statue and an enlarged detail of the princess's hands drawing on a marble tablet. Paolini's characteristic squaring frames the image, referencing his 1960 work 'Disegno geometrico'. The collage continues Paolini's exploration of citation, mirrors, and labyrinths, multiplying time and space dimensions. Risaliti notes that Paolini's work ignores current events, focusing instead on the pure act of drawing and observing. The text also references Paolini's artist book 'La Verità' (1996) and his 1991 work 'Contemplator enim'.