Maria Lai's First Major New York Exhibition Opens at Magazzino Italian Art

Magazzino Italian Art in Cold Spring, New York, presents 'Maria Lai. A Journey to America,' the first major U.S. exhibition dedicated to the Sardinian artist (1919–2013). Curated by Paola Mura, the show features over 100 works, including previously unseen pieces from 1967–1968 that Lai brought on her 1968 trip to Canada and New York. The exhibition traces Lai's evolution from figurative painting in the 1950s to abstract and relational art, highlighting her use of looms, sewing, and poor materials. Key loans come from the MAN Museum of Nuoro, the Museum of Aggius, the Civic Museums of Cagliari, MUSMA in Matera, the Regional Council of Sardinia, the Maria Lai Foundation, and the Fondazione di Sardegna. The show includes works from the Magazzino Italian Art collection, built by Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu over 30 years. Notable pieces include 'The Flock of Sheep' (1959), never before lent, and looms from the 1970s exhibited for the first time. The exhibition also features works related to Lai's 1981 relational art project 'Legarsi alla Montagna' and her 2008 collective action 'Essere è Tessere' in Aggius. The show runs at the Robert Olnick Pavilion, opened in 2013, and includes a timeline linking Lai's biography to historical events.