Paolo Icaro's poignant farewell to Germano Celant

Paolo Icaro writes an open letter to Germano Celant, the renowned Italian art critic and curator who died in 2020. Icaro recalls their early days in Genoa during the 1960s, playing ping pong with Renato Mambor and billiards with Emilio Prini, and following Celant from a respectful distance. After decades of silence, Celant contacted Icaro to propose reinstalling a 1969 work at Venice. Icaro visited Celant's Milan bunker of books and art, where Celant asked him to balance a metal wire in front of his desk. They shared a lunch at Celant's home, with elegant minimal oriental breakfast and French wine. Celant remarked that Icaro never asked him for anything, to which Icaro replied 'Perhaps presumptuous.' They parted without knowing it was forever.