Hans Hartung's Artistic Journey at Mazzoleni Torino
Mazzoleni gallery in Torino presents a retrospective of Hans Hartung (Leipzig, 1904 – Antibes, 1989), tracing his evolution from early watercolors to late canvases. The exhibition highlights Hartung's lifelong quest for a spontaneous, expressive mark that synthesizes his philosophical studies, admiration for El Greco and Goya, and experiences of poverty, imprisonment, exile in Spain, and the Foreign Legion. His heroic act of saving a wounded comrade led to leg amputation. Returning to France, he joined the Art Informel circle in Paris. Hartung won the Grand Prize for painting at the 1960 Venice Biennale. The show emphasizes his mastery of color and his belief that painting maintains complex, constant relationships with reality. The gallery's curation underscores the artist's ability to capture objects like lightning, returning matter to absolute time and space.
Key facts
- Hans Hartung was born in Leipzig in 1904 and died in Antibes in 1989.
- He admired dramatic painters El Greco and Goya.
- He studied color from nature and its 'stains' as described in his autobiography 'Autoritratto'.
- He experienced poverty, imprisonment, exile in Spain, and served in the Foreign Legion.
- He saved a wounded comrade and subsequently had his leg amputated.
- He returned to France as his chosen homeland and joined the Art Informel circle in Paris.
- He won the Grand Prize for painting at the Venice Biennale in 1960.
- The exhibition at Mazzoleni in Torino covers his work from early watercolors to late canvases.
Entities
Artists
- Hans Hartung
- El Greco
- Goya
Institutions
- Mazzoleni
- Biennale di Venezia
Locations
- Leipzig
- Antibes
- Spain
- France
- Paris
- Torino
- Italy