Two Italian Art Exhibitions in Nice This Summer

Two exhibitions focusing on Italian art are on view in Nice, France, this summer. At MAMAC, curator Valérie Da Costa presents "Vita Nuova. Nouveaux enjeux de l’art en Italie 1960-1975," running until October 2, 2022. The show covers Italian art from 1960 to 1975, organized around themes of society, nature, and the body, and includes works by over forty artists such as Mimmo Rotella, Fabio Mauri, Pino Pascali, Marisa Merz, and Carla Accardi. Da Costa aims to reveal the diversity of Italian art beyond Arte Povera, contrasting with Germano Celant's 1981 exhibition at the Pompidou. At Villa Arson, curator Marco Scotini, in collaboration with Arnold Braho, presents "Il futuro dietro di noi" (The Future Behind Us), running until August 28, 2022. This exhibition examines the 1990-2020 period in relation to the 1970s, bypassing the 1980s as a "counter-revolution." It features twenty artists across three generations, including Claire Fontaine, Chiara Fumai, Francesco Arena, and Luca Vitone, whose works open and close the show. The exhibition is structured around thematic nuclei such as reflections on Franco Basaglia, Carla Lonzi, and Giuseppe Pinelli, as well as sections on "Esercizi di esodo" and "Vogliamo ancora tutto." Both exhibitions were reviewed by Marco Enrico Giacomelli.