John McCracken Retrospective at Castello di Rivoli

From February 22 to June 19, 2011, the Castello di Rivoli is showcasing a retrospective of American artist John McCracken (born 1934), under the curation of Andrea Bellini. This exhibition utilizes the 147-meter nave of the Manica Lunga building to present a thematic and chronological arrangement. It begins and concludes with two contemporary mirror-steel sculptures. McCracken's journey starts with his early paintings from 1962, which draw inspiration from Stuart Davis, and evolves into three-dimensional pieces around 1965. His work, influenced by custom car culture, includes lacquered wooden forms. Notable later pieces feature simple shapes and the Plank series, which he asserts is not surf-related. His Mandala Paintings from the early 1970s reveal his mysticism, marking him as a dissident minimalist.